Broken Doorway
by Ranoko
Summary: A young girl literally crashes into the world of Halloween. But will she be accepted, or shunned? Being different, even in a world of monsters and demons, can make things really tough. Plus, having an underhanded plot against you doesn't help.
1. Chapter 1

_Broken Doorway_

Running. It was all she was, all she could be right now. She couldn't stop to think about anything; she dare not risk. She had finally escaped from that place which had held her captive her whole life; the place where there was no justification between right wrong. How sweet the feeling, how breathtaking the exhilaration when she had passed the fence! There could not have been a better sensation in the world than to leave that prison behind!

A bullet shot past, grazing her cheek. Except, perhaps, evading her captors who, if they could, would take her back to that place.

The trees were sparse at the moment; now would be a good a time as any to get ahead. She had gotten a head start, but she could hear that she might not have it for long. Somehow, without tripping or running into a tree, she spread out her wings and took to the air.

She dared not go above the trees; that would allow them a better shot at her. She stayed low and fast, soaring over the ground so quickly it would be suicide to just land. She made tight turns and rolls, dodging trees and branches with precision. Had her circumstances been different, she would have reveled in the experience. But as it was, she could merely urge her little self faster.

The noisy sounds of footsteps, shouts, and gunshots fell far behind her She could hear nothing save the wind and her heartbeat.

However, concentrating constantly on weaving through trees at high speed could only last so long. Soon her brain seemed to be going numb and reacting slower, everything blurring together incoherently.

Suddenly a tree jumped into her clear vision. Not having flown but a very few times, she instantly froze up instead of dodging. Split-second decision decided to retract her wings.

All she could tell after that was a loud cracking sound, a blur of orange, black, and white, and then; an 'out of body' feeling. All her focus and grasp of reality were gone. She felt…floaty…dreamy…and then…

Nothing.

* * *

Well that's the first chapter. Short, yes, but it's an intro. You'll see why it's in TNBC as you read more... Meh first attempt at a TNBC fanfic, so may not be the best. Please let me know if you want to read more, if I could improve upon anything, or if you find a flaw of some sort. Thank you for your time!

Please review if you have the time!

Review deficit has been proven to make the output of a story slower. \_nods_/


	2. Chapter 2

Jack banged the gavel a few times to get everyone's attention. Only a bit over a year had passed since the Christmas incident, now that it was January, and things were already starting to stir up again. "Quiet everyone; now, we're here at the witches' request. They say they've discovered something strange that could affect the town." "Stranger than what's found in Halloweentown?" A clown asked from the crowd. The two witches seated behind Jack got up. "Oh yes," said one, "but not a frightening strange. More of a," "Our sister is bringing it here as we speak." The other injected, "Then you can all see for yourselves." The mayor's head spun. "Oooh, this can't be good…" he murmured. "Does it look anything like a monster?" Asked the town werewolf. "Is it dead?" Corpse kid added. "Well, it does have wings." The first witch replied. "But we don't know if it's dead or not." The second continued. "Wings? Are they like mine?" Bat boy chimed in. "Nothing at all. For one, they aren't a lovely dark purple and black like yours-" "She's here!" Her sister interrupted her.

The town watched as a third witch flew overhead with something small and bulky slung over her shoulder. What exactly it was no one could be sure, as it was in a large sack. Once she landed onstage, she unceremoniously dropped it. "Had no problem carrying that thing here." The witch commented. "May I ask what's in the bag?" Jack said, trying to direct attention back to the subject. The townspeople were just so easily distracted. "Yes, of course." The witches all grabbed the bag and dumped it, exposing the thing inside.

Center stage was a small and crumpled figure, no larger than a small child. It looked like a human girl, with long white hair and a short white dress. Of course, it was kind of hard to tell since the dress was torn and muddied in so many places. Some areas were bloodstained as well. Her arms and legs were no better, if not worse, with tons of splinters; and the bottoms of her feet looked extremely raw. Her face was covered by her hair, which was matted and tangled. Her white wings covered her a bit, though one was bent at an odd angle. Blood was spread on them too, though not so thoroughly. Feathers were scattered around her, like they'd come off in the bag.

"Oh my." Said a vampire, dropping his monocle. The crowd then began to murmur. "Why so white? "How ugly!" "The blood adds a nice, though." "That's not so strange. Different, yes, but…" "What d'ya think it's supposed to be?" "An angel?" "What'd be the point in that?" "Looks more like a broken angel…" Jack stared at the girl for a second, then turned on the witches. "What did you do? Why she looks like a new resident or perhaps a visitor. To just grab her and bring her here is not only impolite-" "No, it's not like that." One of the witches insisted, "We found it like this. Besides, didn't you do the same thing around Christmas a while ago?" "Yes; well…" That was different, he wanted to say; he hadn't known any better at the time. "Anyway," another witch continued, ignoring the previous comments, "you'll never guess _where_ we found it." "Out in the Hinterlands, somewhere near the Holiday Doors." Jack sighed inwardly. He hadn't really had much choice about telling the town about the doors after the incident, but he'd forbidden anyone to go back there. "What were you ladies doing there?" "Well, you see, those three delinquents, Lock, Shock, and Barrel, had mixed our potions again, so we decided to give 'em what-for." A witch began. "We were chasing them on our brooms back to that ramshackle place of theirs when we heard what sounded like a large crash through the trees." "So we go over to investigate. The thing is, we end up passing the Doors before we saw this." She indicated to the girl, who was still unconscious. "We figure she came out of one of the Doors." a different witch supplied. "Why didn't you return her through her proper door? Surely it was open or she had some company?" Jack asked. They shook their heads. "Just that one; nobody else." The townspeople began their gossip once again, now about where she came from. "We felt the situation deserved investigation." The second witch said confidently. "Did you need to call for a meeting?" Jack asked wearily. The townspeople were good creatures; it just took very little to excite them. There were always preparations for Halloween going on, and everyone was constantly looking for new ideas and inspirations, often asking him about every little detail. This new… person might not have been a very big deal, but now the whole town would be talking about it. She was only a child… "Hey, I think I heard something!" The first witch whispered loudly.

The crowd listened intently, but heard nothing. After a few moments, though, the girl's arm moved slightly under her. She attempted to raise herself, but fell forward because of her injuries. She made a slight whimper-like noise. Jack immediately stepped forward to help, reaching out a hand to steady her. He could feel her tense up when he touched her, but continued to pull her up. Once she was on her feet he let go, but she suddenly seemed frozen to the spot. The crowd could see her eyes growing large with alarm and confusion. Only for a moment, however, as the girl instantly began running towards an edge of the stage. Well, tried to at any rate. She had a slight limp which hindered her a bit, and moving was obviously painful, as her face twisted from her wounds. Gritting her teeth, she attempted spreading her wings in preparation for flight. One wing opened, but the other barely got a third open before she collapsed on the floor, giving a short screech of agony and her face contorting in anguish. Jack once again moved to help the victim. She dared to open her eyes a fraction, and gave a short yelp of surprise. As was anyone when seeing the skeleton for the first time, she looked to be scared out of her wits. Frantically she tried scrambling backwards before hitting a wall. She cried out again as she'd knocked into her hurt wing. Her extended wing retracted quickly, nearly clipping Jack's arm. Before anything else could happen, a small object whizzed through the air and hit the girl's shoulder. In under five seconds she was woozy and in less than 12 seconds, she was down and out.

"Stupid formula's still not strong enough…" Jack turned to the voice and saw Dr Finklestein in his wheelchair, a small tranquilizer gun in his hand. "Dr., was that really necessary?" "Of course it was!" The Dr. retorted. "Meddlesome kids these days… going crazy for no reason. Going to doom us all, they are!" While the Dr. continued his ramblings, Jack turned to sally, who was backstage. "Would you mind taking care of her? Perhaps bring her to Dr. Finklestein's lab. I'm afraid I'm going to be stuck here smoothing things out." "Of course not." Sally said reassuringly, "The poor thing deserves to get away from this frenzy." She smiled sweetly as she gathered the girl in her arms. Jack watched a moment longer; Sally was so beautiful, and she was always so kind.

"Jack!" The mayor said, partially coming up the side of the stage, "Dr. Finklestein's trying to rally the town against the children!" Jack turned his attention back to the Dr. He was still ranting, but the townspeople showed little or no interest in his words. Some were chatting about the girl, like if her scream would be that of a bird or a person. "Alright Mayor, no need to get upset."

"Dr., I believe I can take it from here." Dr. Finklestein looked up at Jack before quieting down. "need to fix the formula anyway…" He mumbled. "Everyone, you may return to your activities. The newcomer will be taken care of and you will be notified if anything suspicious," he glanced at the three witches onstage, "occurs. Thank you."

As they all were leaving, the witches approached Jack. "Why didn't you take us more seriously?" one witch demanded. "I'm sorry, but I believe you may be somewhat over-reacting. After all, we could use a few new scares in this town, right?" They turned and walked out in a huff. "We got a 6th sense about these things, Jack." One briefly turned back and said, "That there was trouble if I ever saw it!" Jack winced slightly as the doors slammed shut. The witches were always suspicious, as they should be; but didn't bad mean good here? At least to a certain degree. They had been reluctant about the whole Christmas thing, but with everyone getting so involved it didn't take long for them to get 'wrapped up' in the excitement. Perhaps he should have listened to them? He shook his skull to himself as he exited through the back door. No; after all, it was only a newcomer. The town didn't see many, so it might be typical to make a big deal. Still, having been unconscious by the Doors made him wonder…

* * *

Alrighty; that's the second chapter for ya. What will happen to our little bird-girl? Are the witches right in their suspicions? Read more to find out. Once more is posted, anyway.

If you can't tell, there's going to be some JxS in this, though I plan on trying to make the relationship a bit more 'realistic' later. I think that's the right word... But other than that, I haven't really decided on any pairings or if there are going to be more. Most likely not so far.

I want to thank S.L. Bee for reviewing the first chapter! I would also like to add that I want at least one or two reviews before I update on this. Just something small that I love.

Please?


	3. Chapter 3

She awoke with a start, her hands gripping the bed tightly as she opened her eyes. She gasped momentarily; where was she?! In and instant, though, recent events poured back into her memory; flying, crashing, being on a platform surrounded by monsters and creatures of fear and myth, the blinding lights. And the huge skeleton, coming for her. She was also reminded of her injuries as a burning sensation shot up her arms from clenching too tightly. Her breathing returned to normal after grimacing from the pain. She looked around the room she was in; it was small and dark grey, with bars on the one window. Bars? She didn't like the look of that. It seemed somewhat familiar, and yet… wrong at the same time.

The door opened and she stayed still. "Oh, you're up." Said a soft voice. "That's good. Earlier than I expected, though." A rag doll woman came in, smiling at her. She had blue tinted skin and lovely red hair. The stitches all over didn't scare her; she knew she'd seen worse. "Sorry for the empty room." the woman said, "I just moved out fairly recently." The girl said nothing, slowly trying to sit up. "Here, let me help you." The doll said quickly, moving to her aid. The girl winced, but got into a good position. The woman let go, saw her glance at the window, then looked apologetically at her. "I'm sorry; you must be frightened, aren't you?" The girl shook her head. "No…" she said softly, "No, not really. Just… confused." The woman patted her hand gently. "It's ok, you're safe." The girl looked into the woman's eyes. She liked her; she was kind and compassionate, which felt oddly strange to her. But she loved the feeling.

A knock on the door interrupted. "Sally, may I come in?" "It's open Jack." The door opened again and the suited skeleton entered tentatively. The girl froze again, but did nothing. Not even her eyes changed. Jack could see she still feared him, but she was no longer spotlighted. She was calmer now, seemed more together than earlier. He closed the door behind him. "I see she's already up." "Yes; but only just." It was silent for a few moments. Then the girl spoke. "So; are you death?"

She said it so solemnly and matter-of-factly that they were both caught off-guard. "Oh, um… heheh, no;" Jack said falteringly, with a small chuckle, "Unfortunately that position was taken." "Really? Because... I think I'm ready." She said with the same monotone. She'd been surrounded by death her whole life, sometimes wished for it herself, she knew. Seeing it coming couldn't make a difference. "No, Jack wouldn't kill you." Sally said, "He might make you scream, but he wouldn't kill you." The girl seemed to release a bit of tension. "Oh; alright." She leaned back against the wall carefully. "So, I presume that you're still alive, then?" Jack said. "Yes. At lease, I assume I am." The girl replied. "Do your injuries still hurt?" "Yes." "Then I believe you're alive." "Should we have Dr. Finklestein look at her? Sally inquired. The girl twitched a bit at 'Dr.', unnoticed. "Probably… to determine the extent of her injuries, at least." The girl looked innocently at Jack for a second. "One thing… Where am I?" "Ah! Yes, how silly of me." Jack waved towards the window. "You are in Halloweentown! The origin of all the ghosts, ghouls, and legends of Halloween. I am Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King." He bowed slightly. She blinked blankly. "I... I'm sorry, but what's 'Halloween'?"

Jack and Sally stared at her, unbelieving. How could this girl _not_ know of Halloween? True, the citizens of Halloweentown knew nothing of Christmas until the previous year, so perhaps this child came from another Holiday? "Well… it's a holiday…" Sally tried to begin, "Everyone tries to scare each other-" "It's alright Sally," Jack intervened, wanting to get to other matters, "we can explain later." Sally nodded. "Why not now?" The girl asked. "Well, we've already told you so much after you just waking up." Jack explained, "I thought it might be easier if you also told us a bit about yourself. Like, where do you live?" The girl nodded. "I…-" She stopped, cutting off her sentence. She closed her mouth and concentrated for a second. "I… I can't remember." She said incredulously. "Nothing? Not even a name of a town?" The girl slowly shook her head. "N-no…" She tried concentrating again, harder. "Just that… it was a very bad place." That was hardly enough to describe the feeling she could find, but it was all she could think of. What it really was was a deep ingrained fear and hatred that she couldn't describe.

Jack sighed. He'd have to wait for Dr. Finklestein's diagnosis before assuming much else. "Can you remember your name?" Sally asked gently. "..6…62…3..5…" "I'm sorry?" Jack said quizzically. "6235" The girl said, more definitively. "You sure?" "Yes." "Strange…" Jack mused. Usually, only… only experiments had numbers for names. But surely only a mad scientist would attempt to create something living this large, and Dr. Finklestein was the only mad scientist who had the resources (as Sally was proof of). "Well, would you like a name?" Sally asked her. "Yes." "I'll let you decide. After all, it is _your_ name." Usually now was when Jack would make a comment like, 'Sally was a beautiful name chosen for you.', but he seemed lost in thought.

Before he could question further, Sally lightly touched his shoulder, bringing him back to reality. Indicating to the girl, he saw her eyes drooping; she was practically falling asleep. "You've been through a lot; we'll let you rest." Sally said as she helped her down to a lying position again. "…Mmk……" She murmured sleepily. Jack held the door for Sally as they left. Before she closed it though, she heard something. "…Lenora…" "What?" "I want…my name to be… Lenora…" Sally smiled. "..It's pretty…" "It's beautiful."

After they closed the door, they began heading downstairs together. "Sally," Jack asked, "what do you think of her?" "I think if we give her some time, she'll be able to tell us more." "I don't mean like that. Well, not really. What I mean is, do you think that it's safe to keep her here?" "Jack, she's only a child." "So are Lock, Shock, and Barrel." "She has too many injuries right now even if she did want to do something. Besides; didn't you see her face? She doesn't seem like the kind of person who could do something bad if she wanted to." "We only just met her. Are you sure those bloodied angel wings aren't getting to you?" Sally giggled. "Jealous, Jack? Besides, you know I'm more of a bat wings person." She brushed the bowtie on his neck. Jack smiled. "I'd figured as much." They stopped at the doorway. "I'll let you know if she seems to be changing." Sally said. "You're staying here?" "For now. The Dr. should be back soon and I want to make sure he doesn't do anything to her. You know, like give her an extra limb or take one away." Jack grinned. "Alright. I expect you home tonight, though." The embraced each other. "Of course." They leaned forward and kissed before separating. Jack went on to the rest of the day in a much better mood. He loved having Sally as his wife.

* * *

The Holiday Doors were still as undisturbed as ever. But something was different, off balance. The pumpkin door was no longer closed. In fact, there was hardly a door at all. Splinters colored orange and black were spread before the tree haphazardly, one of the larger pieces looking like a doorknob. The portal of dark emptiness was no longer there; instead, on the other side looked like an identical forest, with the same problem with the door. 

The thing was, these were two different worlds. The door between them had been shattered, and so they were perpetually forced to link together. The real world and the Halloween world now had an open invitation into each other, free for anyone's advantage.

* * *

Not too long after Jack left, Dr. Finklestein came in. He had apparently discarded his ranting from the meeting and was fiddling with the tranquilizer gun. When he got back to the top of his lab, he was surprised to find Sally organizing. "Well, look who's back." "Oh, hello Dr." "I see you've returned to me, hm?" "No Dr, I still have my own life." He had never really been able to get over the fact that Sally had decided to leave her role as assistant. She had gotten married to Jack around Christmas this past year and had finally moved out. They'd been together before that but until they'd made it official she'd had to return now and again. 

"I'm here to make sure our guest stays relatively safe." "Hm? Oh, yes; Jack told me about that. But what do you mean safe? You know perfectly well that no harm can come to her here." "Yes; it's you I'm worried about. Those wild ideas of yours sometimes go a little far." "Well, my dear, I'm not called a mad scientist for nothing!" His wheelchair headed in the direction of the 'spare room'. "Come now; I'll get the prognosis out of the way now." "Oh, but she's already asleep. Couldn't you just do it in there?" The Dr stopped. "Well, I didn't know I created you with a maternal instinct." He laughed. "I won't be able to do as thorough tests as out here, but yes I can." He turned back. "Help me carry some of this stuff. Hurry up! Be careful with that!"

Sally rolled her eyes. Same old Dr.

* * *

About a week later Jack met with Dr Finklestein again to check on the diagnosis of Lenora. She had been spending most of her time drifting in and out of sleep, making the testing easier. "Well? What have you been able to find, Dr?" "Not as much as I could have, let me tell you, but Sally _insisted_ I do it when she's asleep and in that tiny room.-" "Yes, but you can do more extensive testing later, can't you?" "Well, yes… Anyway, mostly she just has multiple lacerations, bruises, and sore muscles. Some areas where the skin was worn away are mildly infected, but she should be fine with time. Her right wing is broken, so I've put a binding on it and told her not to move it too much." "But," Jack intervened, looking around at the townspeople, "why does it bother her so much?" "Jack, she's still alive. The same can't be said about a lot of the town." "Oh, yes. I forgot that." "She also has a slight case of amnesia, but it seems to be subsiding slowly." "How long until she can return home?" "I can't really say. Her injuries should be healed in some months, but the amnesia…" "I thought you said it was subsiding?" "It is, but I don't know how quickly, or how much she's missing. There's a chance she may never get it all back." "Yes… Thank you, Dr." "My pleasure, Jack." As the Dr began wheeling away, Jack stopped him. "Oh, Dr Finklestein!" He turned. "What?" "Did you, by any chance, happen to create this girl?" Dr Finklestein thought for a moment, then chortled. "Jack, you and your jokes." "No, really." "Hm. Can't say I did, Jack. She looks like she was born the way she is, not put together like I do. I can't be certain yet, but…" "Alright then. Could you do some more tests eventually?" "I was planning on it. Why do you seem so interested Jack? It's not as if she should be some concern of yours." "Yes…I guess I'm just a bit on edge lately because of it." Dr Finklestein laughed again. "Relax, Jack. Halloween's months away; you don't need to be so worried about everything." He wheeled back to his lab, muttering incoherently. 

Jack didn't want to say it, but this girl didn't feel like she was of this world. Of course not Halloween's world, but even when he was in Christmastown he'd felt something somewhat familiar and connected to Halloweentown; Lenora felt more like she was from the human world. But mankind hadn't advanced to that point yet, had they?

No; of course not. Jack once again rid his mind of the confusing thoughts. She could answer herself where she was from in a month or so (hopefully). Until then, he had no reason to trouble himself with the dilemma. She might even become a new town-person. He focused on the plans for this year, bigger and better as always.

* * *

The Halloween doorway had gone unnoticed and undisturbed on both sides. But on the Halloween side, a tiny insect now crawled up the Halloween tree. Going through the hole, it came out on the other side and paused. It felt totally out of its element, as a holiday was neither on that day or near. However, hearing the minute sounds of other bugs in the distance, it uttered some unintelligible chirping/clicking that could have sounded like laughter.

* * *

Heheh, having fun with this?

I am. X3

Sorry it's taken so long for an update; school takes precedence and it's been grinding me hard lately. X.x

Well, what do you think? Lenora has chosen her name out of the blue, no particular reason, and found that death may not quite be coming for her. Yet. Of course, it would really help if she could remember more than just fear and spoken words.

Yes, the memory loss is quite cliche, but I am afraid it is already integrated into the story. Besides; it won't last too long. But I shan't tell you too much, or I might lose the interest of some of you.

While on that subject, I want to thank S.L. Bee, gemsonte11, and seyin800 for the wonderful reviews!! I love hearing from those of you who read this story, whatever your opinion may be. If you aren't impressed with it though, please let me know why or how I can improve. So please, if you have time, leave a review if you can.

Ja


	4. Chapter 4

As the weeks passed, Lenora's health improved bit by bit. By February the skin on her feet had grown back and she could finally walk without wincing too much or falling. Sally had repaired her dress with scrap material, so she didn't have to worry about holes anymore.

She had been looking hopefully out the window quite often so Sally decided to take her around the town a little. At first, Lenora was hesitant and jumpy around the people of Halloween; but after some time grew used to what was meant to be frightening and no longer clung to Sally like a lost child. (Which she had been, really…) They never passed through the lab, and never had to. She eventually came to look forward to the jaunts outside, meeting the creatures of Halloween.

The citizens were divided on their opinions of the newcomer. Some saw an opportunity to make a new friend, others a new scream to procure. (one ghoul said her high pitch reached new heights on the 'scream scale') A few sided with the witches and plainly tried to stay away. ("Going to turn out just like Boogie's Boys." The corpse woman had said as she dragged her child along. "I don't want you anywhere near her, understand?") But all in all things seemed to be moving along smoothly, including the year's Halloween arrangements.

Every now and then Jack or Sally would ask Lenora if she could remember any more. "Yes, more each day." She would reply. She felt like she could remember a lot of things now, but a large chunk was still missing. No matter what she did she couldn't seem to remember what it was. She had told them that she had been kept inside her whole life and never really knew personally what outside was like (which explained why she knew not of holidays). She had no family to speak of, but she had been living with 'people who didn't always look after her'. She hadn't any friends or pets, and she had some basic school knowledge. What she didn't tell them was that sometimes she would have nightmares about where she lived, her old life. She could never remember them clearly when she woke up and she never really knew what was going on, but many nights she woke up crying. On few occasions she would receive a dream/nightmare from the witches, maybe trying to scare or curse her. But she found relief in their imaginings, for they only offered her scenarios which she knew couldn't harm her and a reprieve from her own lost memories.

Sometime in April, Jack decided it was time to get the remainder of the tests finished with so they could decide if Lenora was going to stay or not. If so, he could try incorporating her into the Halloween plans. "Ok." She'd said innocently from beside Sally at the fountain. She seemed to enjoy being around the statue on it.

"You sure?" Sally asked as they walked back. "Why not? It's not like anything bad could happen." Jack watched as Sally fussed over Lenora. It was so cute. She sometimes seemed like a mother cat, worrying about her so. Over the time Jack had found himself fairly fond of the angelic girl too, though she hardly fit in even here. He had long since put away the feelings of foreboding he'd had at the first.

"Finally!" Dr Finklestein said as they entered the first floor. "I'll go get the equipment prepared." Lenora was slightly jittery as they went up. "You ok?" Asked and anxious Sally. "Sure…I just feel kind of weird… I'll be ok." She tried reassuring her. The thing was, Lenora didn't really know what was wrong. The nightmares she had were ever-so-slightly trying to flash up, but she repressed them. It's just a few tests, she told herself, no big deal, right?

She walked ahead of even Jack, wanting to get in and show herself there was nothing to fear. Jack was surprised at her sudden determination, but did nothing. When they got to the door, though, she stopped. Jack opened the door and slightly pushed her inside.

Which was where she froze.

The huge room was filled with machinery, large test tubes, broken equipment, experiments half-done. It immediately brought things hurling into her mind, things that would have been best left forgotten. Images flashed through her vision sporadically. Large containers were over to the side.

_There was someone partially alive inside._

Needles spread on the tables.

_They were used to take her down._

Probing devices and the like hung on the wall.

_They punished her with those._

Starting to hyperventilate, she frantically looked the other way. There was a sterilized table, blades beside it.

_They took some obsolete ones there._

Someone, she didn't know who, stood by an evilly-crackling machine that looked terrifying now.

_She was no longer useful._

_They had gotten all the information they needed from her._

_She was __obsolete_

All of this pounded her brain in a second, and she couldn't take it.

_No; not like this!_

She began freaking out, running everywhere, uncontrollable. It reminded Jack of the first time he'd seen her; scared and alone, fear turning into action. Everyone tried to catch her and calm her, shouting and running, but nothing worked. Glass shattered everywhere and she cut herself once more, her cries of pain adding to the confusion. She would stumble after overturning a table, but kept on going. Jack began preparing himself to scare her into submission, but before he could even start Lenora practically ran into him by accident. Jack managed to grab hold of her, but she no longer knew him. He was just another one trying to catch her, trying to hold her down. She struggled and then started beating her wings out, unexpectedly throwing Jack back. She lunged out the window nearby, more glass breaking her skin. She beat her wings frantically, ignoring the pain, trying to stay aloft in her panicked state. Crying both aloud and tears streaming, she was falling too fast. Her left wing was still wrapped, limiting her movement and lift. She was able to somewhat glide, but her jerky movements and frantic state of mind caused her to lose her balance. When she hit the ground, not only was she going too quickly but she tripped. She gave one last agonizing shriek before blacking out.

* * *

"What in the world could have come over her?" Sally asked Jack at their house later. Lenora was currently in the spare bed downstairs, still unconscious. When they'd gotten to her, her eyes were still crying even though she wasn't awake. "I haven't got a clue." Jack replied, pacing. "She never reacted that way before during tests, did she?" "No; then again she was usually asleep." "Usually?" "Whenever she was awake it would be mostly questions, and she might have felt somewhat safe in the small room." 

Jack had seen many fright fits, from simply fainting or screaming to resulting hysteria. But what he saw in Lenora seemed… animal, almost savage. It didn't' make sense, especially with her apparent personality. "Well, hopefully we'll get some answers when she wakes up." "I just wish she would stop crying. It seems… unnatural." "Now that could have been caused from her fall, a pinched nerve or something perhaps." Sally said nothing, but she didn't think it had anything to do with her physical state. She'd already tried her medicines and nothing had worked. "Too bad she fell like she did; her wing was almost healed. Now it has to start over again." There was silence for a few moments.

"Jack? Where is she going to stay now? We can't really take her back to Dr Finklestein's…" "True… very true…" He began trying to think of which citizens might be able to take her in. The vampires were one option. Though they were more nocturnal, while Lenora was up more in the day. The mayor already fretted enough with what he had; adding to that could cause him to actually split in two. That could be interesting to see… The witches? Perhaps… but no. They were against her from the start, he remembered.

"Jack?" "I'm thinking." "Most of the couples with kids don't really want another child yet…" "Yes, I know." "And, you know, we're a couple now…" He stopped pacing. "Yes." "..And we've got such a large house…" He briefly looked around. "Don't you like it?" Sally laughed. "Yes Jack, I love it. What I'm trying to say is... that we could do it." He remained clueless a moment longer before he finally understood what she was talking about. "Us?" "Think about it. She already knows us fairly well, we're married," "What about living space?" "All we need to do is make up a bed for her." "And time? I spend so much time out of the house." "It's not like she'll be caged here. And I'll be home when she needs someone." "Are you sure? Are we ready for this?" "I am, Jack. Are you?" He was silent. She came up to him and put her arms around his slim figure. Turning her large eyes upward, she faced him with a puppy-dog face that would put any actual puppy to shame. He sighed. "Alright, Sally. You seem to be able to pull me into almost anything." She smiled. "You know you like it."

* * *

It had all come back to her now; her memories from before. The place she'd survived in, calling themselves a clinic, a research facility. But it was a madhouse. A mad scientist might have been comparable, but at least they cared somewhat about their experiments. The scientists there did care, but only for data, for information. The creations were merely numbers on which to study and test, stepping stones for a final project of sorts. She was dreaming of it now, remembering and cringing. They always talked as if she couldn't understand them, even though they themselves were the ones who'd decided to give her basic schooling to test her intelligence; capacity for knowledge. 

"_Experiment #6235; offspring of a successful breed between experiments numbers 6232 and 6223. Average intelligence; which is to say below expectations…"_

She knew how they spoke of her, but she was too afraid to do or say anything. She had been over trusting her first few years of life, and it had almost killed her.

They ran tests every day, any hour of the day. How long could she hold her breath? How thin could the air she breathed get before she passed out? How extreme were the temperatures she could handle? How long could she run on adrenaline before collapsing?

But it was never until she collapsed of her own will; electric charges and other implements would be used on her until she either could no longer feel anything or couldn't move if she tried. She would be put in a maze with a time limit and numerous attack dogs tracking her. They would operate with limited anesthesia. Merciless, they always kept her going and going.

She had thought of giving up, but they always showed what would happen if one was no longer needed, or was a failure. They would kill you, no hesitation at all. But it was never a quick death. Wishing to analyze the 'problem', they might operate with no anesthesia until the experiment bled to death, and still continue on. If the problem was obvious, they could put them in one of the tests and simply not remove them 'in time'. Many times, new experiments came out bad (such as underdeveloped lungs or rejection of DNA), and were simply 'thrown'. She didn't know what happened to them, but they never showed up again. At least recognizably.

Re-living it all again, remembering the fear and pain, mixing with the twisted reality of dreams and nightmares, was what kept her crying throughout it all. After going for months without having to either think or go through the same thing, going back practically made it feel new again. All that she had to look towards was waking up, but she eventually forgot she was dreaming. Now, she could only hope it would end soon.

Just please stop soon.

* * *

A long, thin body moved along the ground of the Hinterlands, many legs undulating to propel it along. Reaching the clearing of Holidays, it paused for a second, easily lifting its head a good 6 feet in the air. The broken door was easy to see, though unexpected. Suspiciously, it approached the door, for it could see through the entryway and there was none of the anticipated blackness. Crawling carefully over the splinters, it stuck its head in. Looking briefly around, it slid over into the other world. "Interesting…" It muttered, for it had a voice like that of a male. For the moment, anyway. 

A scuttling noise brought his attention downward, and an insect was attempting to get his attention. He lowered his head to hear better. "What's this now?" It answered in the universal bug language. " ' Finally, some other intelligent creature! ' " "And just who are you, my little friend?" The insect held itself proudly. " ' _I_ am the Boogie Man, but that's Mr. Oogie Boogie to you. ' " He narrowed his eyes slightly. "The Boogie Man?" " ' Surely you've heard of my undoubted fame. ' " "I'm afraid not." " ' Well that's no matter anyway. What I need from you is, let's say, a slight favor. ' " His fangs turned down slightly. "What do you mean?" " ' Ever since that imbecilic thorn in my side Jack destroyed my body a few years ago, I've been forced to wander as a shadow, only existing in thought. You have no idea how degrading that is; not even ghosts can see me! Anyhow, it would be just lovely if you could help me get revenge on that treacherous bonehead. ' " "This Jack sounds like a disagreeable sort." " ' He stole my position from me, too. ' " "If you are merely a shadow, though, then how are you controlling that bug?" " ' Well seeing as all the bugs at my lair had skedaddled once I'd kicked the can, it was a long wait 'till I found another close enough to bring in to control. As more bugs seemed none too eager to head on back, I came out here to try to get some more to reach my full potential once more! Being this size, I haven't been having much luck, but with your help, my luck could change… ' " He glared defensively and backed a step or two away. "You are _not_ possessing my body." " ' No, of course not! Even if I wanted to, I'm bound to this body 'till it's no longer around. But that's where you can come in, if you're interested in the perks. ' " His interest was stirred. "What kind of perks?" " ' When I take my rightful place as Pumpkin King, you will be spared the agony of what's in store for Jack and his brainless followers. Plus, you'll get an all you can eat of… whatever it is you eat. ' " The larger looked at the little insect. " ' If you leave me, ' " it added threateningly (which was hard to accomplish looking upwards), " ' I'll remember, and when I _do_ come to power, you'll wish you'd never heard the name Boogie. ' " He chuckled, crawling back to where he'd been. "I like this spark in you. Sure, I'm in. What is it I need to do?" The tiny green insect seemed to grin maliciously. " ' Perfect… by the way, what's your name? ' " "Mimipede."

The details were discussed thereafter.

* * *

Well; another chapter up and read! How is it so far? Getting better? I hope so. Still trying to narrate the characters well. Lenora's memories come back to haunt her, and a new player is in on the game as well... 

Yes, I skip months. I mean TNBC encompased a whole year, so why not I as well?(well, maybe not a whole year, but a bit of time...)

I seem to have been forgeting this... Disclaimer - TNBC and the characters originaly from it are NOT mine!! They're Tim Burton's!

Claimer - However, Lenora is mine. X3 As is Mimipede. (you can find pictures of them both on my deviantart account. Check mah page for the link)

Thanks seyin800 for teh review on chappy 3! And many thanks to those of you who read anyway.

I'm really very sorry I don't have something more interesting to say here, but I can't seem to think straight at the moment... Ah well. (If you have any questions, feel free to ask!)

Ja


	5. Chapter 5

She awoke abruptly, gasping and choking. She didn't sit up, but she was wide awake. For the slightest second, Lenora couldn't remember where she was again. But soon the somewhat-familiar scenes comforted her back to where she knew where she was. She inadvertently whimpered slightly, both relieved and shaken. In her dream(though it hadn't felt like now), the last thing she could remember was that she was in an air-decompressing chamber, faceless lab-coated men standing outside of it by controls. She'd noticed the air slowly getting thinner, but she was fine; for a while. Eventually, it'd become increasingly harder to breathe; she needed bigger and larger breathes to get the same amount of oxygen. Then she was wheezing, but she knew the men wouldn't stop; they never did. Not much longer and she'd been gasping, her mouth gaping for air like a fish and trying futilely to bang on the sides to make them stop, that she'd had enough. She was suffocating, gagging… She knew it wouldn't stop, not ever…

Lenora put her hands to her neck and subconsciously swallowed. When she'd woken up just now, she had needed air; her airways had been slightly clogged by drainage down her throat. She was better now, though; breathing was easier. She could feel her pillow through her hair, and it was damp. She felt the runs tears had formed down her face, still wet. She remembered absolutely everything now; the facility, the torture, her escape, arriving in Halloweentown, meeting Sally… She winced as she tried moving her legs, and recalled what had just happened; the final tests, memories overloading her, falling out of a window… It was still a little fuzzy, but she had a feeling she couldn't have remembered if she wanted to.

Sally came in then, stopping short when she saw her eyes open. "..Lenora?" She turned her head a bit. "..Sally…" Sally walked briskly to the bedside, relief shown clearly on her face. "Oh, Lenora! Thank goodness you're awake!" She lightly caressed her cheek. "Is there anything I can get for you? Need anything?" Lenora wanted to smile, to say she was alright, but she couldn't' bring herself to do it. "No…just you here, please." Lenora felt like she was tearing up again, but she had no tears left to cry. Before she could try to sit up, Sally said "Just don't try to move too much; I put a new dressing on your wing, so… be careful." Lenora sighed. "Sally…I'm scared…" She sniffed, then coughed reflexively. Sally carefully moved to the edge of the bed (as her wings took up a bit of room), helping her to move over a bit. "I'm sorry, but I'm so scared, Sally." She moved her head to Sally's lap. "..Of what?" Lenora just sniffed again, then began sobbing quietly. No tears could come, but that made no difference. Sally held her gently, a little worried. What could have scared her so? If the witches had done something… Lenora shook her head slightly, as if reading Sally's mind. "Of before, of what happened," She mumbled between shuddering breathes, "of having to go back, again and again!" She clenched her hands tightly. "Sally, _please_ don't let them take me back! _Please!_" Sally stroked her hair as she continued crying. "Of course not; you're not going anywhere." Lenora didn't respond, just kept on crying. All Sally could do for now was be there, and try to give some comfort to the girl.

* * *

Jack was in the downstairs 'living' room, trying and failing to concentrate on the trajectory of some pumpkins for the celebration. His thoughts were still somewhat confused as to what had happened in the lab yesterday, why Lenora'd had such a strong reaction to the laboratory equipment. Some of the pieces _did_ add together, but the conclusion didn't seem plausible. She could still be from another holiday world, but the chances seemed slimmer and slimmer the more he went over them. 

He tried bringing his mind back to task; she was only another random creature, come to Halloweentown for acceptance. Though, that wasn't exactly a definite, and she wasn't quite a citizen yet, and she would probably be living with Sally and him if she stayed, not to mention she was more easily frightened than anyone in Halloweentown, which was quite strange in itself, and he wished to understand her better. Surely the scientific method wouldn't fail him now. All he needed was some information from Lenora…

Sally came in then, relief and worry occupying the same space on her face. He looked at her questioningly, asking without saying anything. She sighed. "Lenora _is_ awake," He grinned. "Splendid!" He started to get up, but she put a hand on his shoulder. "but I don't think now would be the best time to talk to her about her past." "Why not?" "Jack, she's still recovering, mentally more than anything. I think she may remember now, but she's still trying to grasp it." "What do you mean?" She looked back towards the other room briefly before replying. "It seems like she had a traumatic experience at some point, and she doesn't realize that it's over. She's terribly frightened." "Hmm…" He mused, mostly to himself. "Mind if I just take a quick look?" "Jack, I don't think that's such a good id-" "I'll not breathe a word about the past." He said quickly as he slinked off to Lenora's room. Sally could do little more than try to speak as he passed. She considered going after him, but decided against it. Instead, she would try to occupy herself with cooking something for Lenora.

* * *

Jack slipped through the door quietly as he could, which was fairly silent, but the door offered up a tiny bit of complaint. Lenora, who had been previously lying down, perked up at the sound immediately, alert and tense; though winced at the sudden movement. She saw it was merely Jack, however, and relaxed somewhat; though stayed sitting up. "..Sorry about that..." Jack said, a bit awkwardly. Lenora didn't say anything, just watched him with tired eyes. He came closer to her bed. "I see you're feeling a bit better, at least." More silence. "..Well, then, just wanting to see how you're doing." She looked away to one side. "Alright…thanks…" "Did you dream at all?" She didn't say anything, continuing to look the other way. He saw a faint nod after a moment. His hopes raised a trifle. "Can you remember anything about it?" He disliked misleading Sally like this, but he had merely stated 'the past' before, nothing specific. Again a slight nod. His hopes rose even higher, and he leaned forward with anticipation. "Could you tell me anything? Please?" She continued looking away, growing tense, but Jack didn't notice. "A face? A place? A name of some sort?" She scrunched her eyes shut and said with a stiff, though shaky voice, "Stop it!" He stared for a moment, confused. "Stop what?" "Interrogating me! Staring at me that way!" She wasn't yelling, but her voice held high emotion. Whether anger or fear, Jack couldn't tell. However, he pressed on, unaware. "Staring…how?" Her head ducked a bit lower, her eyes still shut tightly. "Like a wolf at meat! Like I'm just something to gawk at; like I'm just a freak for information and I don't really exist!" Her breathes were slightly shuddery now, and she slowly moved one knee to under her chin. She hugged it carefully, and Jack looked on silently. 

His gaze fell away, and he mentally backed off a bit; maybe she wasn't quite ready for probing. He felt sorry and somewhat ashamed of himself as well; he hadn't meant to seem so eager, or threatening, as she saw it. "Yes…So sorry." He debated whether to leave or not. Lenora had calmed again, though she still held herself and looked the other way. A slight chill went through her, and her feathers all shifted simultaneously, making a soft rustling noise. He thought perhaps he should let her be, but something inside him didn't want to let him leave until he'd found at least some small thing out. "Well, I _am_ glad that you came here, to Halloweentown. I've rather enjoyed your stay so far." She continued to gaze away. "Though, I'm still trying to figure how exactly you got here. I mean, it may seem a trivial matter, but still; I _would_ like to know… Perhaps it could even help; who knows?" He knew he was treading thin ice here. He wasn't _directly_ going against what he told Sally; he couldn't breathe a word of the past if he didn't' breathe, after all. Lenora stayed silent and unmoving for the longest time, until Jack thought she wasn't going to say anything more. Just before he moved to leave, however, he heard something. "I'm sorry?" He said, bringing his attention back. She waited a moment before repeating a trifle louder.

"..I was running; escaping…" Jack didn't know, but her vagueness was not because she might have had trouble remembering, but that she didn't particularly _want_ to remember her feelings and surroundings from before. "..There were trees, lots of dead trees; like maybe a forest… I couldn't tell very well. It was right outside the fence…" "..A fence?" "Yes… that stupid, ugly fence surrounding my life… it always mocked me, overpowered me." Jack tried to steer her back. "What was behind the fence?" She shrugged faintly. "Buildings, roads; what else would there be?" She waited a moment before elaborating a bit. "Behind it was my torture… my fear…" She trailed off, staring into space before shaking her head lightly. She breathed deeply, which in turn caused her to cough.

Before Jack could think to ask any more, the door opened. Sally came in with a tray, on which was a bowl of something. She approached tentatively. "Lenora? I brought you some serpentine soup." She registered Lenora's shifted position and glanced questioningly at Jack. "Just…asking her a bit about how she's doing" He said. She looked to Lenora for confirmation, and received a small nod. Sally passed Jack on her way to give Lenora her soup, and watched slightly suspiciously as he hurriedly left. Perhaps he wasn't telling her the whole truth? She thought for a moment, then sighed. Of course not; he wouldn't intentionally lie to her. Her mind was just being overly sensitive due to the stressful situation. She sat beside Lenora and focused again on the little girl, who had already faded back to her mind.

* * *

Mimipede lurked in the shadows in a tree. Under the tree was a large pit, the bottom undulating continuously. A few bugs blindly fell in, joining the mass in the pit. Mimipede silently pulled a rope beside him, which let loose a stream of green liquid into the pit .After a few seconds, he let go of the rope and stopped the flow. With the bugs now covered in the substance and temporarily dazed, Mimipede called out, "Alright Oogie; they're ready." A shadow stretched out from inside the hollow tree, engulfing the pit and its contents. High-pitched squeaks could be heard for all of but one second, then silenced. The shadow retreated, a glowy-green assortment of insets following it out of the pit and back into the tree. 

Mimipede crawled down, and a voice came from the hollow. "Not quite as good as snake and spider stew, but alright. Considering I can't really taste yet." Mimipede reared up to his usual 6 feet high once on the ground and commented, "At least you've got a place to keep yourself together." "That reminds me; go and find me my old burlap body in my place. It's probably still down in my casino area." Oogie continued, "And if you happen to see my old henchmen, make sure to tell them their best friend is gonna be commin' round soon." Mimipede softly scoffed a bit to himself; he didn't know how those little morsels even managed to keep up themselves, much less how they could've been of much use to Oogie before. He'd been able to easily get into the tree house before and take what he wanted without them even noticing. Of course, then again, Oogie wasn't always so high himself…

As Mimipede started resetting the trap, Oogie began boasting about it. "It's genius, isn't it? Efficient, simple, effective. I'm so glad I thought of it." Mimipede inwardly sneered a tiny bit; even though _he'd_ been the one to originally have the basic plan, Oogie still insisted it was himself. Oh well; it wasn't a big deal, and besides; he'd be spending a lot more time with the Boogie Man. He'd have to put up with a lot more and worse before his mission was done, Mimipede was sure.

Mimipede finished resetting the trap and began heading off to the tree house and Oogie's old lair. "Oh, and Mimipede;" Oogie said. He paused. "Why don't you start letting Halloweentown know that the Boogie Man is comin' to town." Mimipede grinned with his fangs showing. "Any specific way?" "Be creative." Was Oogie's only reply. Mimpede's grin grew more devious looking and sinister. "It'll be my pleasure."

* * *

Sorry it's taking so long; I hit writers' block. XP Not necessarily in what's going to happen, but how it's going to happen. 

And now I bet you're really curious as to why.

_/grins evily\_

That, my dear readers, is my little secret...for now... :3

Not quite as much as my previous chapter, (only four pages in word) but it works. I finally started writing again recently, but it's not enough to a stopping point, and I think that I should post what I got.

Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews as well! I love reading them, and it inspires me to write more.

Speaking of which... If you have the time, please leave a review. I enjoy hearing from you, whether it be congrats or criticism.(If it is criticism, though, please expound on why; I can't get better if I don't know the problem, ne?)

Ja


	6. Chapter 6

In Halloweentown, clouds were gathering and the sense of impending rain hung in the air. Jack had just left the house, pondering on his next course of action. He hadn't learned much, but it was more than he'd had before. Should he blindly search for his fenced-in building that Lenora had mentioned? No, of course not; that'd be reckless. He needed to talk to someone who knew the area around the woods surrounding the Holiday Doors in the mortal world, and knew them fairly well. Yes, the Town Hall kept record of some vague outlines around there, to ensure that no human dwellings were built too close to the Doors. But it was somewhat out-of-date, and wouldn't show anything too far to be a threat (which the place most likely was). So, he went searching out about the only one who traveled frequently enough to help him.

After a few minutes or so, he glimpsed the reaper's scythe and strode over.

"Kismet!" Jack called, getting his attention. The reaper turned his head, showing his brown hair and skin, then turned his whole body to let the skeleton know he had his attention.

"Jack; what can I do for you?" Kismet was one of the few semi-citizens that wasn't technically under the jurisdiction of Halloweentown's rules. However, he still showed respect for Jack, and most others he thought deserved it.

"I know that you go to the human world often, and I was wondering if you could help me with some information."

"Of course." He nodded slightly. "What do you want to know about?"Jack phrased his question carefully, but said it with an air of nonchalance. He didn't want to give a hint of what he was thinking of doing, before he found any reason to do so. The Christmas incident had taught him a little, at least.

"I just remembered that the last time I was in a town near the forest, I'd heard a bit of hushed talk about a building out in the trees; a fenced one, I think." Unnoticed by Jack, Kismet's demeanor changed just slightly; he paid closer attention to Jack's words now. Jack continued, "I wanted to know if you knew anything about it, or how far it is, perhaps?"

"I know of it." Kismet replied, "It's about 10 miles west of the Doors."

"Oh?" Jack said, pondering for a moment. Kismet regarded Jack questioningly, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you searching for new scares, Jack?" Jack's interest rose with that sentence, but he appeared to not give it much thought.

"Oh, yes; somewhat." Jack patted Kismet's shoulder, feeling the skeleton he really was underneath the cloak. "Thank you, Kismet." He then went off.

As Jack vanished into the buildings of Halloweentown, Kismet looked after him suspiciously. Something was up with the Pumpkin King; something that didn't seem to set right, even for the eerie town he lived in.

He glanced to his side at a tree, not expecting much, and saw a raven situated on the branches. Kismet's eyes temporarily widened as he saw it, for it was not a normal raven. But he quickly masked his surprise with indifference as he stared at the 4-eyed bird. It stared back, red eyes as stoic as his, then flew off.

Kismet watched it go, and worry began to gnaw at his bones. If this was only the beginning, worse things were bound to come.

* * *

Lenora had fallen back asleep, and Sally was out of the room. There was a window in the room, which slowly slid partially open to allow a long shadow passage through it. May legs 

tapped across the frame, then on to the wall; Lenora didn't stir. Crawling across the wall to her bed, Mimipede stopped just above Lenora.

He looked down on her and pondered momentarily. So close… he could be done and over dealing with this Oogie Boogie so quickly. But the thought only passed briefly through his mind; he knew to follow orders as they were given to him. Besides; he might as well enjoy himself a bit while doing what he needed to.

He studied Lenora's face for a few seconds, memorizing the lines and contours. Then he contorted his face, a strange transformation taking place. A somewhat long neck extended from his now blank face, all facial features now transferred to the relatively-small head attached to the neck, presently changing themselves to a more innocent look. Long white hair grew from the head, and the mutation stopped. In a few seconds, Mimipede had turned his face into a copy of Lenora's, extending a little from his own body. He twisted the new face a bit, accustoming himself to the new muscular structure. A partially broken mirror hung on the wall next to Mimipede, which he looked in for a moment. He looked back down to assess how well he had done this time. A few feathers poked out of his hair, though upon looking closer he saw that her feathers were merely behind her head. He twitched slightly and the feathers retracted back to nothing.

Pleased with himself (though her face hadn't been very difficult), he now merely wondered how to hear her talk without attracting too much attention. An idea occurred to him, and he went back over to the window. Right after he exited the window, he pounded his legs on the wall and pane, and then scurried underneath it.

Lenora jolted awake and looked towards the window, adrenaline rushing through her for a few seconds. The door opened shortly and Sally came in. "Lenora? What was that?"

"I don't know…" Lenora said nervously. Sally quickly looked under the bed, but the monster who usually resided there was under some other child's bed currently. Bringing her head back up, she looked toward the window and sighed, seeming somewhat relieved to see it was open. She didn't remember it being that way earlier, though. She looked to Lenora, who was now wincing with some pain as the adrenaline began leaving (after she'd heard Sally sigh).

"It's fine, Lenora; probably just some kids throwing rocks or bats running into the house. The sun sometimes reflects strangely off the window; might have gotten to them under the rafters." Lenora relaxed. Sally went over and closed the window. It seemed a little strange that the reflection had happened, but it was possible. Smiling, Sally left, Lenora falling back asleep.

At the door, she heart "Thank you, Sally." She turned back, and saw Lenora's eyes were closed.

"You're welcome." She said softly.

"Hmm?" Lenora mumbled, already half-asleep.

"Nothing. Go back to sleep; you need the rest." Sally said as she closed the door. She thought she glimpsed the window open a crack again, but dismissed it as nothing.

Mimipede, meanwhile, had been right below the window the whole time, hearing everything. His little test with the girl's voice had gone perfectly. The mirror-image face he still wore grinned, far too innocent-looking for the creature's true nature.

* * *

One evening the next week, the Undersea Gal, or Spiff as her friends called her, was heading out to a party. Closing her door, she thought she heard something from a nearby alley. 

She almost ignored it; as such 'mysterious noises' were common in Halloweentown. It persisted longer than it should have, though, and Spiff became curious. Moving closer, she could somewhat make out a tune. However, the voice singing was that of a little girl's. She could hardly even thing of any little girls residing in town currently, much less names, so she simply listened closely.

The tune was 'Ring Around the Rosie'; a familiar song. Spiff smiled to herself; when the song had been created, it showed that even the human children had become accustomed to death. Though, of course, they were easier to scare now that they were pansies again.

Then, the song took an unexpected turn; new words danced to the old tune.

"When Oogie Boogie's back in town,

The Pumpkin King he will be crowned.

Ashes, Ashes,

We all fall down."

"What? Spiff whispered to herself. The song stopped. She looked around, but saw no one. Unnoticed, a flat body moved away from the moonlight on the wall to better conceal itself.

Spiff stopped, knowing that night was not the best time to try to find a citizen hidden in the shadows, especially if they didn't want to be seen. As she headed back towards the party, Spiff couldn't help but think more of the words. Oogie could never be back again; could he?

That was just the question Mimipede wanted in the minds of Hallweentown as he watched the Undersea Gal wander off. He grinned; the girl's voice worked well as an alias. He had done the same thing a few times to different citizens, varying the words occasionally. Who would know it was him? No one even knew he existed here. He could have fun with this plan for a while… Let Oogie fend for himself a month or so; he wouldn't be any the worse off for it.

* * *

WOW it's been a long time! O.o

I'm sorry... T.T

But I plan to be writing more... steadily than before! I'm already a few pages into the next chapter! (I was going to include it in this chapter, but I'm writing too long and not straight enough to add it; besides, this needs an update)

I want to thank those who have reviewed and/or are still reading! Namely seyin800, Silver-ShadowSpark, and Sydney E. Stone! Thank you, even though it was months ago you reviewed! TwT'

Also, a very special thank you to michaellover!! They sent me a message recently asking me why I hadn't updated. I didn't realize it'd been so long, and needed an extra motivation boost. So thank you for giving that to me!

That brings me to my little begging corner; If you can and have time, would you please leave a review for me? It gives me something to read that would help motivate me and it's also nice to know that people like what I write. If you have critisicm, please include specifications on what I can improve on.

You can find all the versions that Mimipede sings of Ring Around the Rosie on my account here.

You can also find pictures of these characters on my deviantart account; Imaginary-Shadow's my name! _\shameless self-advertisement XD/_


	7. Chapter 7

Lenora's wing was healing fairly well, and would probably be ready to unbandage and stretch soon. She could hardly wait; she had only actually flown twice before, and both had been times of extreme anxiety and confusion. She longed to try it at a time when she could really feel the thrill of flying and enjoy it.

A week or two later, around May, Lenora was back about town. It'd taken a while before she had stopped twitching at the mere mention of 'science' or 'experiments', and going into panic mode at any sudden noise. She was still jumpy, as she was likely to always be, and the citizens loved taking full advantage of it when they had the chance.

Nathan, the mummy cyclops child, was one of the few who didn't try to frighten the girl. On the contrary, he had developed a slight crush on Lenora, so rather tried to help her overcome her fears. When he could, anyway. Being friends with Monty, the corpse boy, made their parents somewhat close as well; and his friend's mother couldn't have been more adamant about anything than about not letting anyone she knew near the 'disgraceful faux pas', as she called her. "Nothing scary or fearful about her except her shameful fear of everything." She'd said once.

Of course, Lenora didn't really notice anything much; all she realized was that Nathan didn't try to scare her as badly as others, and helped her calm down, which she appreciated. Sally somewhat noticed, since she preferred to at least know where Lenora was if she didn't stay around her, but said nothing. It was good for her to have at least some friends in town, even if it was just one.

As for the other children, they had begun to see her as a possible playmate, but found scaring her much more fun. On her part, Lenora thought she felt a sort-of connection with the Bat Boy, since he had wings too. However, he felt nothing of the same sort toward her, as he usually either scared or ignored her (as did the others).

Anyway, Lenora had managed to get herself somewhat lost in town one evening; she knew what area she was in, but wasn't really sure how to get out.

While she was looking around, she spotted a trio of children grouped together whom she hadn't seen before, and became curious. They hadn't really noticed her yet, and she approached them. "Um," She said, slightly more confidently than she felt (she'd learned that showing nervousness only made others want to scare her more), "Where are you going?"

They stopped and looked at her, and she got a better look at them. One was dressed as a witch, another a devil, and the third a skeleton. They all looked older than her, and had masks on. "Hey," The devil said, looking closer at her, "You're that angel kid we've been hearing about, aren't you?"

"Uhm, probably…"

"Huh; you look scrawnier than I thought." The skeleton boy laughed in agreement as Lenora subconsciously retreated a little, pulling her wings in closer.

"Well, what do you want?" The witch snapped after looking at her for a moment.

"I… wanted to know where you were going." Lenora repeated.

"That's none of your business." The skeleton stated decisively.

"Well, would you tell me anyway?"

"No!" The group yelled at her before cackling and continuing on their way. Lenora winced and watched them, hesitating, then followed them.

After a few blocks, the trio noticed her still behind them. The devil stopped them and turned around. "Hey, can't you hear? Scram!" Lenora stepped back, shrinking against his voice, but stayed near. She'd have to be braver if she was going to make any friends here, she'd resolved.

"Would you want to… play a game?" She asked pathetically.

The skeleton boy put a finger to his mask in feigned thought. "Mmm; no."

"Why would we want to play with _you_?" The devil snickered. Unnoticed to any of them, the witch's eyes gained a sudden gleam as an idea came to her.

"Now boys," She said sweetly, putting her hands in front of them, "let's be nice to the little one. Of _course_ we'll play with you." The other two were confused for a moment; weren't they just trying to get rid of the girl? Giving them both a quick look, however, she passed on that she had a plan, and they grinned beneath their masks.

"Really?" Lenora asked, surprised. She'd been too nervous to notice their suspicious behavior.

"Sure." The devil boy drew out, "We were just messing with you before."

"Having some fun." The skeleton chimed in.

"Ok…" Lenora said, somewhat relieved.

"I'm Shock" The witch said as she took of her mask.

"Lock." The devil added, removing his mask.

"And Barrel." The skeleton boy finished, removing his mask and licking a swirly lollypop.

"I'm Lenora. What do you want to play?"

"Pummel the Mayor?" Barrel suggested right off.

"No, let's play bombarrage!" Lock countered.

"Shut up!" Shock screeched as she whacked them both with her mask. "I think we should play hide and seek." Barrel was rubbing his head where Shock had hit him, and Lock was glaring at her; but both smiled at the idea. They jumped up and pranced over to Lenora.

"Hide and seek! Hide and seek!" They chanted merrily, circling her, "You shall hide and we shall seek!"

Barrel sang, "But you'd better hope that-"

"We'll not find you." Shock continued.

Lock carried it out, "Otherwise," and he held out his plunger (which Lenora hadn't noticed before), "we'll pulverize you!" They all snickered as Lenora looked at them, unsure what to do or say.

"Umm… ok…" Lenora said hesitantly.

"Don't worry about it." Lock said teasingly.

"We'd never _really_ do that to you." Shock comforted. Of course, Lenora couldn't see them all crossing their fingers behind their backs.

"So, who's going to be 'it'?" Lock asked.

"Didn't we just say we were?" Barrel asked, referring to their previous tune. Lock hit him with his mask.

"No, you idiot! We can't _all_ be it; it doesn't work that way!" Barrel protected his head from another blow, then rolled his eyes and made an annoyed imitation of Lock blabbering. Lock then whacked him again.

"Quit it!" Shock barked. "I say that Barrel should be it; since _he_ brought it up."

"But I-" Barrel began to protest, but a quick glare from Shock shut him up. "Fine.." He mumbled as he turned around to face a wall. Lock and Shock put their masks back on as he began counting, and ran in different directions. Lenora just stood there, not entirely sure what she should be doing.

Lock looked back and loudly whispered, "You're supposed to _hide_, dimwit!" Lenora looked around, hesitating to go somewhere. Shock rolled her eyes as she saw and ran back, grabbing her hand.

"Come _on_!" She ordered as she dragged Lenora behind her. She didn't mind, though.

Winding through some backstreets, they finally slowed to a stop. Shock looked around, then looked up. "Hey… kid." Lenora looked up at her. "See that roof up there?" She pointed at a slanted roof a few stories above them, maybe 10 feet away.

"Yeah."

"I'd say that's a pretty good hiding spot."

"But how're we going to get up there?"

"Oh yeah," Shock said, pretending to have forgotten, "you can't fly." She went over to the building's nearest window and peeked in. Finding nothing threatening, she went to the door and tried the handle. It was unlocked, and she motioned for Lenora to follow her in.

"What're we doing?"

"Getting to the roof, of course." And maybe seeing if there's anything good enough to take, Shock added to herself.

"Can we?" Lenora asked cautiously as they passed into the next room, finding the stairs. They saw many pots with various plants in them, including a venus flytrap.

"Why wouldn't we? We're just going up and the door wasn't even locked." Shock said sweetly. Of course, it wouldn't have mattered even if it was, but she didn't mention that. They reached the top of the 3rd flight of stairs, and found a window leading on to the roof. After Lenora got out, Shock turned back.

"Wait!" Lenora cried, but Shock turned and put a finger to her lips.

"Shush! I'm going to go keep a watch out for Barrel."

"..Alright."

"You stay up here and hide." Lenora nodded earnestly as Shock disappeared down the stairs, then left the window area hesitantly. Shock snickered to herself; this was way easier than she'd thought.

Going back through the rooms a bit slower, she looked through things to try to find something worth stealing. However, all she could find was books, plants, and gardening materials. Well, she assumed they were used for gardening. All she ended up taking was a small whip and a pair of pruning shears.

Before she headed for the main door, she came to a door with a sign saying 'P.P.' on it. Right underneath in red letters was written '_keep locked!_' Lifting her mask and grinning, Shock put aside the shears and undid the deadbolt. She tried undoing the key lock with a paperclip, but found the lock too large for just one. Taking another look at the double-lock, it took a little longer but she finally got it unlocked.

Shock opened the door fairly wide, but there wasn't a whole lot of light to shine in or reveal much. The few windows inside were covered with drapes; and the shadowy objects she saw didn't look very useful. There were a few tables, some random containers, and vines. Almost everything was covered with vines, though they weren't quite overwhelming. She shoved them out of the way as she looked at the tables, opening some random drawers and rummaging through them. She didn't find much except papers, bags, and some spiders. On the tables, occasionally a beaker would have a mystery substance or object in it.

One of them she unscrewed and looked at for a moment before putting it back up. As she did so, a piece of her hair accidentally went in and she heard a small sizzling sound. Quickly bringing the container back down and her hair out, she saw the hairs that looked like they'd been singed a little. Intrigued, she tore off a corner from one of the papers lying around, and put it into the glass container. She watched as it quickly dissolved into nothing. Another small fizzing noise accompanied the brief reaction. Grinning, she screwed the top back on tightly and held it in the same hand as the whip. Finally, she'd found something useful.

Unknown to her, the vines that she'd been so violently pushing around had been snaking around her feet, slowly coming toward her. Moving one foot, Shock tripped and almost fell over one of the small vines. Mumbling angrily, she kicked the vines that were by her feet, still not realizing they'd moved on their own. Starting to step towards the door, Shock saw a vine sluggishly reach out and grab her ankle.

"What? Get off of me!" She yelled at the plant, shaking her leg. It kept holding on, and other vines were beginning to move her way. She half walked/hopped as best she could to the doorway, but couldn't quite get there and fell over. Another vine had grabbed her other leg, and more had strengthened the first one. She made sure to keep the bottle raised out of danger of cracking as she fell, though.

The bottle; she could use the acid inside! But the idea was quickly tossed aside; no _way_ was she going to waste the acid on a stupid plant! Glowering at the vines, she thrashed for a little bit. It made no difference; they'd gotten a hold on her dress now, and were working up. She could feel them beginning to pull her back farther into the room.

The whip wasn't much good; she couldn't get a good enough start to it, and the vines could just grab it from her anyhow. They didn't seem to be moving very fast, or extremely strong, but they still held her fast. The shears, those could work! But she'd left them outside the door! Shock rolled her eyes at herself; why'd she left them so far out of reach? She couldn't break the vines on her own; she'd tried. Great, she thought, I'm being held hostage by a freaking _plant_! She pounded her free fist against the floor in frustration, growling to accent it.

Suddenly, a crash came from the room just down the hall. Shock froze; were the owners home already? No, they shouldn't be; most everyone was more or less out or getting out by now since it was getting darker outside.

Before she could decide whether or not to try to hide, a round white mask rolled into view. Barrel shortly trotted into view, picking up his mask and his back facing Shock's way.

"Barrel!" Shock said it sharply, and caught the boy off-guard. He promptly dropped his mask again, then looked her way and grinned as he bent to retrieve it.

"Haha; I found you."

"Shut up!" Shock growled at him, "Hurry up and hand me those scissors outside of the door!" He walked over and picked up the shears.

"You mean these?" More vines attached themselves to Shock.

"Yes!" She said urgently, "Now give them to me!"

Barrel grinned. "What for?"

"Just hand 'em over!" She slid back even further, a large jolt in comparison to the previous ones.

Barrel held them out, but out of her reach. "What's the magic word?" He asked tauntingly, waving the shears.

"_NOW_!" Barrel quickly came inside and gave them to her, and she immediately began whacking the vines nearest her other arm. Handing the container and whip to Barrel and getting a hold on the handles, she started nipping off whatever she could reach. The vines all tightened momentarily, then began retreating. Aiding them move away faster, Shock kicked and scooted away from them, then yelled at Barrel, "Don't just stand there, help me!"

He became reanimated and ran up to her, grabbing her dress' shoulders with one hand and helped drag her out of the room. "Watch the bottle!" She said crossly as she finally freed her legs and stumbled backwards. After getting up, she ran to the door and shut it, Barrel just getting out of her way. Locking the deadbolt, she waited a moment to listen for any sign of retaliation on the other side of the door. Hearing none, she backed up to the opposite wall and let go of the pruning shears. She was panting slightly from the adrenaline, but it subsided shortly.

Barrel carefully set down the whip and glass container, then went over to the shears. Experimentally, he held them and snapped them a few times, shifting the weight in his hands from time to time. "Hey Shock;" he said casually.

"What?"

"I'm gonna keep these."

"Fine." She got up and brushed off her dress; "Just be careful around that glass bottle."

"Why?" He asked, purposefully swinging the shears close to the container. Shock immediately came and pushed him over, grabbing the glass and holding it protectively.

"Because I told you to!" He stuck out his tongue at her briefly.

"Fine. What's so special about it anyway?"

She grinned smugly. "I think it's an acid of some sort, or maybe a potion. But whatever it is, it was in that room with that plant-thing."

Barrel's interest rose, and he came closer. "Ooooo, an acid? Can I see?"

"No!" Shock said sharply as she picked up the whip, "Not right now."

Barrel pouted. "Then you're it. I found you."

"No, I'm not. I called out to you; you didn't find me."

"Did too!"

"Did not! Besides," she continued, "right now we have a little bird girl to tend to…"

Barrel grinned, and Shock beckoned him to come closer. As she whispered her plan to him, he cackled maniacally in anticipation.

* * *

Barrel climbed fairly noiselessly up the flights of stairs, Shock a ways behind him so as to not be seen and be a lookout. She held the pruning shears along with the other stuff, as Barrel might need both his hands getting around on the roof.

Once they got to the window, Barrel went out first and went around the side of the window entrance. Climbing up a little, he saw Lenora's shape near the other side of the roof, facing into the setting sun. Well, with it being twilight, Barrel somewhat had to guess that she was facing the sun, since he couldn't see much but shadows. But she wasn't moving away or towards him, so at least she didn't know he was there yet.

Keeping his laughter to himself, he tiptoed over to the area behind her, but was still out of reach. Putting his hand above his eyes so he could see better, the other buildings around them came into view. The one next to them wasn't very far away, a grown person could jump the distance if they wanted to. But it was just a bit farther than a child could jump; they might catch the edge of the roof if they were lucky.

Barrel grinned, and shouted "Found you! You're it!"

Lenora visibly jumped, and turned to face him. But before she could even do that much he lunged out and roughly 'tagged' her with both hands.

She stumbled sideways/backwards towards the edge of the roof, and temporarily balanced on one foot, waving her limbs around and extending her wings to try to stabilize herself. It only lasted a brief moment, during which her head blocked the sun from Barrel's view and he could clearly see her face. It was fearful, panicked, asking for help.

But then she fell out of sight.

* * *

Ah! Another chapter finally finished. And in record time, sorta, too.

And around 3,000 words! Yay!

Sorry to say, though, that updates will probably be back to usual speed after this; I had most of this written before, but now I gotta start again. But I will try harder!

I want to thank seyin800, Heavenly Swords, and michaellover for reviewing!! I greatly appreciate feedback, and opinions of any sort on my writing. So thanks again!

That brings this little paragraph back around - If you have the time, could you please leave a review for me? I love hearing/reading anything you might have to say about this story, and it inspires me to continue. If you have some critiques, I'll be happy to make some changes if you tell me what I need to improve on.

Moving on...

What's happened to Lenora? She fell of the roof, of course! _\gets pelted with stuff/_ Aaahh! Ok ok, I know there's more to it! But that's all you're gonna have for now.

And what about that mysterious plant that attacked Shock? Was it protecting that acid, or was it just attacking her because she was there?

I forget these sometimes -

Disclaimer : Lock, Shock, Barrel, and Halloweentown belong to Tim Burton

Claimer : Lenora, the plant, and that acid belong to me.

Ja


	8. Chapter 8

After Lenora fell, Barrel was blinded by the sun again and only heard a short yelp/scream that stopped quickly. A few crashes and bangs followed, but he couldn't see anything in the ally below.

Shock showed up beside him.

"Where'd she go?" She asked eagerly. Barrel pointed into the shadowy alleyway between the buildings.

"I couldn't see her go down, but I could hear her." He said triumphantly. "You should've seen her face! It was priceless!"

They both looked down (though still couldn't see much of anything), and giggled maniacally at the prank.

"Come on!" Shock said gleefully as she headed back to the stairs, throwing Barrel the shears. "Let's go see where she hit."

As they came down the last flight of stairs, they almost literally ran into Lock.

"Hey, watch it!" Shock automatically yelled.

"There you are!" Lock said, ignoring her protest. "Hey, did you see that girl just fall off this roof?"

Barrel laughed. "_I _did that. Wasn't it awesome?"

Lock laughed as well, nodding. "Man, did you see her fall? She flipped around at least twice before she scraped against the wall and crashed into some trash cans!"

"Well then let's go look!" Shock said impatiently.

However, Lock shook his head. "We can't; we gotta go back to the tree house."

Shock and Barrel looked at him quizzically.

"Why?" Barrel asked.

"Because, this guy named Mimipede said he wanted to meet us there as soon as possible."

"So?" Shock scoffed.

"Aaaand," Lock continued, "he's got instructions for us from Oogie Boogie."

Shock perked up. "What? That's impossible."

"He's dead!" Barrel added, clipping the shears in the air.

"If he was going to come back to life, he would've done it already. Besides," Shock said, "why should we believe him?"

"Because," Lock replied, his tail twitching, "he said that Oogie said he was 'making a special batch of snake and spider stew'."

The trio were quiet for a moment; who else would say that and really mean it? Finally, Shock walked past Lock.

"This Mimpede had better not be lying if he values his life…" She grumbled.

Lock and Barrel followed her out, then headed for the tree house. They all knew that, if he wasn't lying, they shouldn't take any chances.

* * *

Lenora was lying in the ally by some overturned trashcans, clutching her head. AS she'd fallen backwards, her wings had caught her, but at the wrong angle. She wasn't prepared, and before she knew it she was looping through the air.

Her right wing, surprisingly, didn't really hurt when she stretched it out; but then her left wing grazed against the wall as she spun out of her second loop, throwing her off and sending pain through her wing. In reaction, she pulled in her wings, which made her drop sharply. Before she could do anything else, she slammed into a group of trash cans head-first.

Needless to say, it hurt, and she simply tried to get through the pain at the moment.

A zombie, who had been just waking up by the cans, was upset by his rude awakening. Looking to the source, he glared at the disturbingly-white girl surrounded by feathers and moaned angrily, not really awake enough to use words just yet. When she made no response, he turned and limped away, figuring it didn't' really matter now that he was up. Maybe he'd come back later to see if she had died, but it was unlikely. He'd have to find a new napping place, though.

The pain in her head eventually subsided to a somewhat dull throbbing, and she loosened up and got up. Wiping tears from her eyes, she saw that her hands had some blood on them. She reached back up to feel her face briefly, and found one cheek scraped and bleeding. Her left wing, as she'd felt when she'd stood up, didn't really suffer too much from the run-in with the wall; some rug-burn and missing feathers, but she'd be fine.

She heard the door close, then. Was it Shock and Barrel, coming to check on her? She walked as best she could (she was still a bit disoriented) towards the door in front, trying to act as though she was fine. But, when she came out into view, no one was there.

Lenora wondered why they'd done that to her; it couldn't' have been on purpose, could it? No, she decided, it must've been an accident. But… where were they?

The pumpkin sun was under the horizon now, but still cast some light on the Halloween world. By that light, Lenora saw a figure coming towards the house. Not recognizing it and wanting to get back to Sally, she thought she might be better off not meeting another citizen right now. That may not have been very rational of her, but she had just crashed into trashcans from a roof height, and she still wasn't quite thinking clearly. So off she went, in a different direction than which she'd come.

* * *

The botanist who lived in a large 3- or 4-story house (depending on if you counted the greenhouse) was returning for something he'd forgotten at home. He saw a little white bird girl by his house, then leave upon glancing his way. Yes, he remembered now; she was that new girl that jack and Sally had adopted recently. He dismissed it and went to his door, getting out his keys. However, he found his door unlocked. He rolled his eyes; his roommates and the professor both must've forgotten to lock it again; they did so quite often, to his annoyance.

He went through the rooms, looking for what he'd left behind. He found it on a table, and then noticed the drawers were more disorganized than usual. Going off of a paranoid feeling of his(which weren't all that unusual), he quickly went to the door with the 'P.P.' sign on it and checked the handle. It was locked, to his relief, but he got out his key just to check. The paranoia wouldn't leave until he had made sure to at least glance at everything.

Opening the door a crack, he peeked inside. Everything looked as usual; except for some odd shadows on the floor. He realized that they were dismembered vines, cut crudely, and alarm began to rise in him. Quickly looking to a certain table, he saw the glass container he'd filled was gone.

* * *

Once Lenora got back to Sally, Sally began fussing over her and brought her back home. Usually, mothers of Halloweentown thought nothing of scrapes and bruises, even if their children were alive; they were signs that their young ones were beginning to learn how to scare, fight, and look ghastly. Sally was different though. Oh yes, she loved Halloween, and was all for the preparations and learning; Lenora to her, though, was out-of-place anyway, and was therefore subject to... somewhat different standards. Besides; Sally was full of naive motherly love eager to throw itself at any willing subject. Lenora, of course, didn't mind obliging.

Lenora told Sally what happened, and Sally warned her against playing with the three trick-or-treaters again. Lenora listened and trusted Sally, but didn't' really think playing with them would do anything; she'd just have to be more careful. And, they had actually played with her, which stuck in her mind more than the fall. However, she told Sally she'd try not to do it again. Satisfied, Sally asked about her wings and if maybe they were ready to actually try flying. Eagerly, Lenora went with Sally to go experiment and exercise (on low hills, to start).

* * *

The next day, Jack was going around town in the evening with the mayor, reviewing some plans for Halloween and making sure things were running smoothly. The Mayor was much more enthusiastic, but didn't really notice that jack's mind was not entirely on the 'present concerns'.

After they'd finished checking on the witches' brews and ingredients plans and such, they headed out into the streets.

"I think things are going to be just horrible this year, Jack." Said the Mayor with is happy face.

"Yes; quite…" Jack said absently. "Say, Mayor;" Jack continued after a moment, "how long have the records of the area around the Doors been around?"

"Well, not that long, Jack; we haven't even known about the Doors for hardly a year or so. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was thinking I would go out and re-check them myself; make sure nothing new has popped up while we've been busy."

"What?" They Mayor exclaimed as his face switched. He then tripped and fell flat on his face. Getting up slowly, he put a hand to his head. "Oh, Jack; do you really have to? We still have so many preparations for this year's Halloween. Why don't you get someone else to do it, like Kismet? He goes out of tow a lot anyway."

"Yes," Jack replied, "but I thought to try not to bother him with such a small matter."

"Oh nonsense, Jack! I'm sure he'd be happy to do it for you, just as anyone here would." The Mayor said, spreading his arms to the streets of Halloweentown.

"Yes, but," Jack said, raising a bony finger, "you know that s he's not really a citizen, he doesn't _have_ to do anything here. Now I'm sure he probably would anyway, like you say, but why cause him the trouble? It'd be just as simple for me to go out and do it myself as it would to spend the time finding Kismet and having him do it; don't you agree?"

The Mayor nervously put a hand on his badge, making sure it hadn't run off. "Well…"

"Great, then it'd decided!" Jack said, "I'll go out with the records and check around the Doors. I can also rattle my bones out of town a little bit; might give me some inspiration. I'll see you soon, Mayor!" Jack patted the Mayor's shoulder before walking off.

"Just don't take too long, Jack!" The Mayor called after him, "You know how hard it is to make decisions alone!"

As he watched the tall skeleton move off, the Mayor couldn't help but worry what he'd do in the meantime.

However, he wouldn't have long to wait as an angry-looking figure stalked up behind him.

"Mayor!"

The Mayor jumped a bit, turning around. "Oh, that was very good." He chuckled as his face turned around.

The figure didn't smile; in fact, he looked rather irked. "Mayor, I want you to know that a theft has occurred."

The Mayor looked at him for a few moments, then asked, "Well what do you want _me_ to do about it?

The botanist put a hand to his face, then sighed. "I would _like_ you to apprehend them! Or at least let me get my things back."

"Who was it?"

"It was that… little kid… the one with white feathers, wings… the one Jack and Sally adopted." He continued agitatedly, trying to remember her name.

"You mean… uhmm… Lenora?" The Mayor offered.

"Yes! Her."

"Ooh, really?" The Mayor asked, interested now.'

"Yes; she stole an important container of liquid from me! And a pair of shears and a whip, too."

The Mayor sighed, though still smiling. "Well, Lennox, I'm afraid I can't do anything about it unless you can prove that she did it. Can you?"

Lennox faltered a bit. "Well… not exactly…"

The Mayor shrugged. "Then I can't do anything."

"She was outside my house right before I found the things missing! Isn't that enough for… something?"

The Mayor shook his head. "No; but if nothing else," he said, passing by the frustrated botanist, "you can find some comfort in the fact that maybe Lenora is finally catching on to the Halloween spirit."

The Mayor went off humming to himself, and Lennox was left with only his vexation and suspicion.

"I'm sure it was her…" He muttered.

Of course, he knew that one of the laws of Halloweentown said that, if one citizen stole from another, if they didn't get caught in the actual act or could be proved by evidence during the action, they had earned the right to keep the possession. So, even though Lennox 'knew' that Lenora had stolen his things, he hadn't caught her doing it and he had no real evidence to prove himself.

Dang it, he thought, I _knew_ I should have installed those cameras!

* * *

Bahaha; more of the story to appease your appetite, I hope.

Lenora's got into a bit of trouble with one of the citizens, it seems. Her bad run-in with the troublesome trio doesn't seem to have phased her much, surprisingly. I can't imagine where she got this trusting streak...

And, what could Jack be up to now?

Isn't it fun?? \_large smile/_

Again, I reach the point where I humbly ask you to kindly leave a comment for me, please?? I love hearing from you, even if it's just aknowledgement that you read it! Thanks.

I want to thank diff-r-ent-1 and michaellover for commenting on chapter 7! _\dances/_

And you can go to my deviantart account (Imaginary-Shadow) to see pictures of some of the characters here; even Lennox! heheheh...

Ja


	9. Chapter 9

As Jack held two scrolls of paper under his arm and a pencil in hand, he finally approached the Holiday Doors. He thought he'd known the way better, but he had to admit that he'd only traveled it a few times, and the map he had now was quite vague. Perhaps it was better if the official map was left that way, but he should learn it better himself. However, something seemed slightly out of place as Jack got closer to the Doors; he could feel it before he could see it.

And see it he did, as he entered the clearing and saw pieces of wood scattered about the ground. "What's this?" Jack muttered to himself as he looked upon the few remnants of the Halloween Door clinging to the tree. Even more surprising was that the Door no longer led to a dark void, but to another forest. He knew it led to the human world; the trees were green with in-between spring and summer shades. At least, he was pretty sure it was the human world. Carefully stepping over the wooden shards and through the doorway, he confirmed that it was the humans' world; he could feel it. Plus the sun was no pumpkin; just a big bright orb in the sky.

Poking his head back to Halloweentown's side, Jack realized what a problem this was. How long had it been like this? How did it happen? Had any humans found it and reported it? A mere pumpkin on a hard-to-find tree was one thing – a clear portal was another. If the whole race was alerted to the Holidays' existence, it could be disastrous for the Holiday worlds and their holidays!

Taking another look around the humans' side, Jack didn't see any evidence of recordings or surveillance or anything. He also noticed that there didn't seem to be very many pieces of wood on the humans' side, though the Door there too was almost entirely gone. The pieces looked like they'd been on the ground for a while, fairly undisturbed and settled. So, he could conclude that the Door, or Doors, had been like this for a while. He needed to get back to town to fix this as soon as possible-

But, wait; there was still the reason he had come out here in the first place. Jack looked at the papers, then at the scattered wood, seemingly torn about a decision. After a few moments, he let out a small sigh. The Doors had already been like this for a while, right? And things were still fine. Surely it could wait just a little longer.

So, Jack headed out towards the west, hoping to make some good time. 10 miles was a lot of ground to cover.

* * * *

A few hours later, Jack came to a medium-sized metal fence, meant to deter any unwanted visitors. A small 'No Trespassing' sign proved the fact. He easily climbed over the fence, which was in bad quality, and quietly moved onward. After about 15 minutes or so, he came to another metal fence. This one was higher, with spiraled barb wire and an electric wire running along the top and bottom of it. A 'High Voltage' sign was to his left on the fence, and another warning was posted to his right: 'Trespassers Will Be Shot'. Thankfully, Jack didn't really have to worry so much about the shooting part; other than the fact that it would ruin his signature suit. He didn't have many, seeing as how he never really needed a lot, and that would put him out one suit, which he rather disliked the idea of. Anyway, this fence required a bit of skill to surmount, but Jack did it as quietly as if the wind had merely blown gently through some trees.

After around 10 more minutes, he saw a grouping of seemingly small and flat buildings, some looking more 'advanced' than others. He made a mark on the maps he brought, (he should at least look like he did what he set out to do) and put them in his suit jacket. He would _not_ want to drop them in the human world.

Jack was approaching from near a back corner of the complex; he could tell by how the buildings were mostly facing away from him, and there were no roads, trails, or otherwise in his direction. A few small trees were planted, but very few were scattered in the bare ground. As he got closer, he saw that one of the buildings at the end of a row near him had a back door that led to an inset rectangular patch of ground. There were no trees in the clearing, but there was a small, thin tree about 70 feet away from it. Looking around briefly to make sure he hadn't been spotted yet, Jack sneaked quickly behind it. His thin frame fit excellently behind the tree's twiggy branches.

Looking again at the clearing the door led to, he noticed it was enclosed on the one open side with more metal fencing. It connected to a long metal rod at the roof level, then continued at least 15-20 feet above the building and wrapped over the clearing, peaking in a triangular-prism-type structure. He could hear the buzz of electric current running through the fence from his tree. Or perhaps what he was hearing was the whirr of machinery as a small, square of ground at one end of the clearing was descending into the ground with a sturdy crate on it. There was something in it, but Jack couldn't tell what it was.

A person wearing a long white coat, a scientist he presumed, was writing something down on a clipboard. They looked up briefly, digging out something from a pocket, and pressed something on a remote. The fence-cage began moving, retracting into the building. They looked back down for a few moments, then turned and headed towards the building. Jack saw his chance and dashed over to the fence. He quickly slipped through an area where the fence had already split apart and came up behind the scientist, who was oblivious to Jack's presence, and silently followed him through the doorway in a spider-like fashion. The scientist hardly even looked as he locked the door's keypad and continued on down the hall.

Jack waited for a few moments, then quietly dropped down to the floor. The papers he still had rustled slightly, but not enough for any notice. Nobody had seen him enter, and he'd just disconnected the security camera by the door after coming in. It might have glimpsed him as he'd crawled through the frame, but he'd probably just register as a dark shadow of movement. There shouldn't be too many more cameras deeper inside, Jack thought, but the way this facility looked to be set up, he couldn't be sure. Usually, Jack didn't really worry about getting caught on camera, as it just gave the humans a good fright and probably caused some paranoia. However, he wasn't even sure how seriously these people took security, so it would be best to stay anonymous. Besides, it gave him good practice sneaking around. Looking ahead and seeing no recording gear, he set out to see where he was; or at least, what happened here.

Trying to stay more towards the shadows (which was fairly difficult to do, since the walls were so white and the lights quite bright), Jack looked in doors and windows as he passed, not really seeing anything he thought worth investigating. File cabinets here, bookshelves there, lab supplies and materials in various places. Perhaps he should look in some of the files? He wasn't entirely sure what he was looking for, anyway…

Then, without realizing it, he passed a room with larger-looking testing materials. However, he saw the room out of the corner of his eye socket, paused briefly, and walked back a few steps. The room was on the other side of the hall, with a small window inset in the door. He thought he even recognized a few things he glimpsed as something from Halloweentown.

He was about to go to the door when he heard footsteps coming down an adjacent hall; Jack saw a door right behind him and clanked back to the other door briefly. It had a numerical lock; he wouldn't have time to open it with the steps so close. He looked back to the door behind him, which had just a simple mechanical key lock, and immediately set to work on it. He had it done in less than 3 seconds, and slipped in. He did so not a moment too soon, for the owner of the footsteps turned the corner as the door was just finishing closing. They passed without even noticing, though; doors were always opening and closing randomly, why should they make note of every one?

Jack stood on the door's other side, in a small room, maybe 10 x 6 feet, staying out of the range of the two oppositely-arranged cameras as best he could. He was still a bit in view, but he wasn't in much danger; the security guard for the area was watching his monitors, but currently a game of solitaire was more interesting.

Jack looked across the barren room to another door, which had a more complex lock. He was just contemplating about how to best go at the lock undetectably when he heard a click from the other side. Scrambling elegantly up above the frame of the door, Jack easily held himself across the ceiling. A woman opened the door and put her head out, searching momentarily. She then stepped into the little room, still holding the door open. She could've sworn she'd heard that other door close… Jack slipped quickly over her head as she conveniently held the door, and slid quietly down on the other side, sidestepping out of the doorway and her view. She dismissed the thought then and, closing the door behind her, left.

Jack scanned this new room. It was a little bit longer by a few feet or more. It was filled with computers and file cabinets (which was somewhat redundant, Jack thought), though there were far more cabinets. There was a possibility he could find something quicker from the computers, but they were so specific when he wasn't even sure what to look for, and they would most certainly keep an accurate record of his activity for the humans to find. So, perhaps he was lucky there were so many file cabinets instead of computers. Surprisingly, there was only one camera in the here, easily avoidable. Jack, unsure of how much time he could steal, picked a random cabinet and began riffling through the papers.

At first, he only glanced at the tops, scanning for titles of interest. When all he kept finding were numbers, he started looking a little deeper; still scanning, but farther down a page. He found many repeating words; the words he seemed to pass most often were ones like 'unsuccessful', 'failure', and 'not conclusive' – negatives in the scientific world.

Mid-shuffle through the third cabinet, jack remembered something Lenora had said, back when she first arrived. Something to do with numbers… He went back to looking through numbers, skipping over areas that didn't seem right. He knew he'd know it if he saw it, but… it had 3 in it, didn't it? He moved to the next cabinet. Or maybe it was a 4… Then, a paper flashed by that grabbed his attention. Quickly pausing and going back through, he saw 6235 at the top. Yes, that was it!

He took hold of the file and briefly looked at it; it wasn't exceedingly thick, so it would fit in his jacket with the maps. He glanced at some words, and saw 'failure'. Odd; Lenora didn't _look_ like she'd been a failure… Of course, he didn't know what criteria they'd been looking for. Regardless, he'd have more time to look later, and put it in his jacket.

Jack then realized that, though he could sneak and hide quite efficiently, even he could (or shouldn't, at least) stay hidden here forever. He closed up the cabinets as before, and as he mulled over how to leave unnoticed, for there were even locks on this side of the door, he heard footsteps again on the other side. In an instant he was up by the door's top; the ceilings here had been narrow enough so far that he'd had no trouble holding up his tall, light frame.

The same woman from before entered; she must have forgotten something. He didn't bother to wait to find out, however, and slipped to the other side, reaching the other door just as it nearly closed. He quickly jabbed a finger bone in the way, barely saving his exit. It didn't crush his joints, neither made a sound, but he still flinched a bit; it was worse than when Sally had accidentally jabbed him with her sewing needle. He pushed the door open in a way to keep it silent, while staying obscured from security. He heard the woman shuffling closer to the door behind him now, and hurried through. She came out and saw the other door still closing. She paused; didn't the door usually close faster than that?

Jack didn't waste any time once he was out; she would probably be suspicious by now, and the cameras had already glimpsed enough of him in such a concentrated area. By the time she looked out the second door, he was long gone.

Jack strode quickly down the halls, going any direction to get farther from the room. He could've gone back towards his entrance, but it was highly unlikely that someone else would be conveniently opening the door again right as he arrived, though he had been lucky about that so far; besides, it was a dead end otherwise. He was sure he could find his way out a different way.

He passed more rooms, the doors somewhat less frequent now, and there were more windows to rooms. Jack wouldn't show up as more than a blur on the cameras; unless they had high-speed anywhere, which wasn't impossible. But, he wasn't worrying of that at the moment.

After Jack believed himself far enough, he slowed and paid more attention to what was in the windows. Rooms now had large tables and containers, reaction chambers that were bigger than usual, drawers that held something other than papers hidden inside. He came across some devices that were familiar experiment tools, such as he'd seen similar too in Dr. Finklestein's lab. He raised a nonexistent eyebrow; were humans taking more from Halloween than just scares, or were they beginning to follow a darker type of thinking on their own?

Jack then became aware of a high-pitch emanating from down the hall. It'd grown so imperceptibly that he hadn't noticed at first. Before he could figure out what it was, however, a sharp, splitting crack came from another hall, immediately followed by a screech of pain. Jack winced slightly at the unexpected break from the near silence; not from the scream but the bone cracking – it always reminded him that that was one thing he still had to be careful of.

The sound continued, at varying pitches, along with banging sounds. Jack followed the sounds, and came to a window looking in at one or two scientists looking through their own window on a different wall. Jack positioned himself at the window to see a little through their window, the screaming dying a little bit. Then some mechanical devices moved, which he couldn't quite make out, and more bone-snaps sounded, ensued by a fresh bought of piercing cries. They'd set the bone back into alignment, it seemed.

Jack moved again, getting a better view. He still couldn't see everything, but he saw a girl strapped down to an elevated and tilted platform. She had short, dark hair, and was fairly dark herself. The one arm he could see was slightly swollen and different colors, obviously the one with the broken bone. A tawny-colored wing was bound behind her, and by the flurries and bands that accompanied her unseen side, Jack could gather her other wing had broken free. He also saw some medical dressings to one side, out of harms' way. So, they would dress her wound later, he thought? An interesting method…

Jack averted his attention momentarily, as he heard people coming. He sneaked down the corridor and found a simply-locked door, which he soon entered. The room was empty of people, and he saw a few human skeleton racks. He situated himself on one, should they come in, and waited for them to pass.

* * * *

Bryan walked with some colleagues down a hallway. They didn't say anything, for the screams would've drowned out any words. He wished they would wait to do the noisy experiments until _after_ the sun had set. That would be soon enough, anyway, but it still bothered him.

As they passed a small room that was sort of like a utility closet, he separated from the group. They knew as well as he did what he was doing, so continued on without him.

Bryan got out a key and unlocked the door. However, he must've turned it one too many times, because it was locked when he tried to open it. He tried a few more times. Stupid… the thought; one of the few mechanical-only locks and even it disliked him. He finally turned the knob successfully and went in, closing the door behind him. It muffled the screams a bit, to his relief, and he relaxed more.

He walked by the usual supplies, looking up just in time to see a tall skeleton dressed in a pinstripe suit beside him. He jumped, startled. After staring a few moments and getting his heart rate back to normal, he sighed and shook his head to himself. _Someone _had too much time on their hands. Bryan continued over to a cabinet not too far away, and took out a few clipboards and laptops, setting them on a table. He looked back to the dressed-up skeleton; hat it shifted? No, couldn't have. He walked back over to it, staring for a bit. Whoever the suit belonged to must be very thin. He couldn't think of just who, but they'd probably want the suit back. Maybe he should hide it, simply for the spirit of it.

Bryan tried to figure out how to remove the unique bowtie, but decided to just go for the jacket first. He had only undone a few of the buttons when suddenly one of the bony hands clutched his wrist. Surprised and scared, he quickly looked up and saw the skeleton's face _glaring_ at him.

"Do you mind?" It asked.

Bryan froze, wide-eyed, and couldn't really remember anything after that.

He never fully trusted skeletons again.

* * * *

Jack watched the man's eyes grow wide with shock and horror, then roll back as he fainted and fell to the floor. The resulting 'thwump' would have been fairly audible had the screams outside not been so loud.

Jack left the man where he lay once he was off the rack, and set another skeleton in his place. Might as well have a bit of fun while he was here. He turned to reach for the door, but found a cloak instead.

"Oh; Kismet." Jack said, as if speaking to an unexpected guest arriving at his house, "What are you doing here?"

Kismet looked at him steadily. "Making my rounds."

"Ah! Yes, you do do that around here, don't you? I'd forgotten."

Kismet watched him. "Though, I can't say you have the same reason."

Jack shifted a little, but not for uneasiness. "Yes, I was updating Halloweentown's map records when I stumbled upon this place." He gestured.

Kismet raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just ask me how to get here a few days ago?"

Jack lightly drummed his fingers together. "Yes; not in so many words but yes. What I meant to say before, I suppose, is that I found this place. Following your directions, of course." Kismet made no motions to move. "I know you warned me, Kismet, but I see nothing worse here than in Hallweentown, at any rate. There could even be inspiration here, just waiting to be found."

Kismet looked at Jack with an unreadable stare. "You do not even know the half of goings on here, Jack, and I wouldn't suggest going to the effort of finding out. The world isn't ready to handle something like this."

Jack thought for a moment. "Then, we can help prepare them! Think of it, Halloween is all about frights and the unthinkable, you know that."

Kismet stared at Jack for a few seconds, almost with a kind of disbelief or pity in his eyes. Then he gently shook his head and turned around. "Come; you should be going now."

"Now, wait-"

"Jack, you know they won't ignore the consistent blur forever."

Knowing he was referring to the security, and that it was true, Jack quietly nodded. Kismet phased through before Jack opened and then closed the door. Kismet knew his way around, and could be invisible to the cameras, so Jack easily followed him. They eventually came to a dead end, and Jack looked at Kismet questioningly.

"It'll be easier to phase through than get through a doorway." He explained simply. Jack looked back once and saw that no security cameras were pointed at the wall (which made sense; what would happen at a plain, solid wall?) before Kismet put his hands on Jack's back, just as bony as his own, and essentially pushed him through the wall. Once they were both on the other side, Kismet stopped moving briefly, unused to the larger amount of concentration that multiple phasing required, though it wasn't all that much thanks to Jack's bony structure. Jack then tapped his shoulder blade.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid you forgot part of me." Jack's left hand wasn't there. Kismet quickly reached back and retrieved it.

"My apologies. I do not usually phase anyone other than myself."

Jack waved after he reattached his hand. "Like you said, I should probably be going. Well, so long." Jack said as he headed off. Kismet followed him at a distance, to make sure he at least passed the first fence, then returned.

Jack looked back a few times, betraying his unsatisfied curiosity. However, he knew he had some papers that would be interesting to read; besides, now probably wouldn't be the best time to return.

* * * * * * * *

An older man, who wasn't quite elderly, looked at some screens. He was focused, reading or scanning something. Then, a beep on his phone interrupted him. It took a few moments, but he eventually answered it.

"What is it?" He said gruffly.

"Sir?" The other end said nervously, "I think there may be… something in the facility.-"

The man was immediately alert. "Then signal the guards!"

"No, sir – it's not exactly…. _there_…"

"What do you mean? Don't be playing around with me."

There was silence for a few moments.

"Well… it's a shadow, almost nothing – but it keeps popping up in different places. I thought you should know."

The man relaxed a little bit, but his mind also became more alert.

"Why didn't you say so in the first place?" He said, more evenly.

The voice was unsure how to answer.

"Alright; don't worry any more about it – I'll take care of it." He could sense relief on the other end of the line. "Thank you for calling." Before the voice could answer, her hung up.

Heathcliff rested his chin on his hands, pondering. Who could this be, sneaking around as a shadow? Usually the type he expected wouldn't allow themselves to even be shadows.

"Xellos."

After a few moments, a hooded figure melted from the shadows.

"Check the area again. We may have a naïve visitor wandering around."

The figure slightly lowered his head, in a half-nod. "Of course." He said evenly, yet had a slight undertone that might have been described as pleased. He smiled eerily as he faded away.

Heathcliff would think no more of the matter; Xellos would take care of whatever-it-was, if anything. He could ask about it later, if he remembered.

* * * * * * * *

* * *

Yaaay! Update! 8D

Yeah, I suck as a writer, I know... _Especially_ with updates.... TwT

But it's a few pages more!

Want to thank michaellover again for getting on my case when I needed it! (when I was around, anyway...) And supporting me, of course. Plus lots of others who have stuck with this story! I am seriously sorry I don't update more.

If you have any comments or opinions, feel free to leave me a message! Please! It might help me update...


	10. Chapter 10

Kismet stood behind a corner very still. He didn't need to breathe, but the tension was there regardless. He knew someone was looking around the area, searching for him…

"Hey-ya!" Came a cheery voice from nowhere. To his side appeared a girl's head, brown hair in a high ponytail with a small braid down one side of her face. The braid partially covered a swirly tattoo on her face.

"Hello Cessation." Kismet said calmly, as if he'd almost been expecting a head to randomly show up. "You know, now isn't exactly the best time."

"Why not?" The girl replied casually, the rest of her body appearing beside him. She was enveloped in a dark cloak like Kismet's, having a skull-pin near the top.

In the wall behind the two of them, a large head pushed through above their heads, covered with a shadowy hood. Long white hair hung out in places. The head looked down and smiled, a large grin filled with sharp teeth.

"He's why." Kismet continued, not quite as calmly, looking up.

"Oh…." Cessation said in a smaller voice.

They both ran as the head, belonging to Xellos, crashed down upon where they'd just been standing. Robes like darkness flowed around him as he regained himself while exiting the wall, and went after them. The hunt was on.

"Well, well;" Xellos said, his words echoing to the fleeing duo, "what have we here? Two little reapers wandering around the badlands." He laughed menacingly. "They should know that it's dangerous to stray into wolf country."

"In case you haven't noticed," Cessation called back mockingly, "_anything_ looks small compared to you!"

"Cessation," Kismet said testily, "I do not believe _now _is a time for such comments about his size."

"All the better to catch you with." Xellos replied darkly, followed by another laugh.

They wove around and through the buildings, but had no luck loosing Xellos. They had been in this kind of situation before, but so had he. Xellos always grinned when in a chase – it broke up the usual boring atmosphere that hung around and it was something he was generally very good at. Cessation also appeared to be having fun, even though she was on the short end of the stick should they get caught. Kismet seemed to be the only one who wasn't enjoying himself.

As the two reapers hid for a moment, Kismet said, "It's not worth the effort to stay at this anymore; let's go."

"But…" Cessation started to protest, partially thinking of Kismet's job which she had assumed he was trying to do, mostly thinking of her 'fun.' However, Kismet gave her a look; one that said 'we'll talk about it later.' They disappeared into the air, leaving nothing behind.

Xellos glimpsed them as they vanished. He could follow if he was really intent on continuing, but he decided not to. After all, he wasn't allowed to actually eat them if they were from the local area. He didn't believe the girl was 'local', per say, but she appeared often enough to make it seem like she was. Besides, it was better not to take the chance with Heathcliff. They 'helped the research' or some other silly excuse like that. Xellos shrugged to himself – maybe now he could go back to locating that girl.

Kismet and Cessation were now on the roof of a tall building. It was in a city, Cessation's assigned area. This structure was condemned, though nothing had been done about it for months, and was empty.

"Ok," Cessation said, curious, "weren't there any souls for you to take care of?"

"I was just checking around." Kismet replied.

"Right…" Cessation continued doubtfully, somewhat overlooking his indirect answer, "Then why were you there so long? Mr. Big and Bad was obviously after you before I got there, and you can usually avoid him for a while."

Kismet sighed. "I was watching out for Jack." He said.

Cessation blinked. "Jack? You mean… _the_ Jack?

Kismet rolled his eyes; he should've expected as much. "Jack Skellington; yes."

A huge smile spread accross her face of surprise and excitement. "He was really there? Did you show him around? Did he get any new ideas?" she bombarded, "Did he scare anyone?"

"Cessation!" Kismet scolded, annoyed – she was like a sister to him, but her fangirl-like episodes when Jack was even mentioned got tiring. Jack was her idol, fair enough, but she didn't need to quiz him on Jack's life whenever he mentioned seeing him, which Kismet tried to avoid bringing up around her.

"Sorry," She said, still grinning widely, "but…. you know – he's awesome!"

"I didn't invite him, he came on his own. Besides, it's not a good thing if Jack's there; you know that." Kismet continued seriously, "There are some things even the Pumpkin King shouldn't involve himself with."

"I know…" Cessation pouted, folding her arms.

"Now, I don't _think_ Jack found anything," Kismet said, "but I only found him after he'd gotten inside."

Cessation couldn't help putting a small smug smile on. "See? Even you didn't know he was there for a while." She said smugly. "I bet Xellos never-"

"Actually," Kismet interrupted, "he was the reason Xellos was after me, this time." he added, "I was keeping Xellos off Jack's back while he went back home."

"Aww…" Cessation cooed, hugging Kismet, "See? You do care."

Kismet just sighed – sometimes he wondered if Cessation even really paid attention to what he said when he talked.

* * * * * * * *

A figure with long black hair reaching down his waist stood among some trees. He wore the black cloak of the Death race, and was alone. For the moment.

Then, another cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows, hood drawn far overhead. The black-haired one turned around, facing the other figure, revealing skin as white as bone. He smiled.

"Ah, Council members;" now there were more hoods standing around him, "what a pleasant surprise." His voice slid out like honey, showing nothing but pleasure.

"Good evening." one of the members said somewhat coldly.

"What are you doing?" another asked.

"Me?" The black-haired one said innocently, "I'm simply checking on my duties as a reaper." The stoic figures around him said nothing. "Why?" He asked slyly, looking around at them, "Do you suspect me of something?"

"It is our duty to periodically check on you, after your relocation." One member stated.

"You know as well as we do that leaving you to your own devices for too long is unwise." Another continued.

The black-haired one put a cold, white hand on his chest. "I'm touched by your kindness, but it really is unnecessary."

"Past experiences have shown otherwise." The figure in front of him said.

"Then I thank you all for the concern about me." He gave a small bow. Not one of them could tell if it was in mockery or not. "But I assure you, I have changed." He spread his arms out. "You may look for yourselves if you wish; I'm not hiding."

It was silent for a few moments. "That's what worries me…" one finally muttered, though not very loudly. One by one the Council disappeared. The first one that appeared was the last to go, nodding to him before vanishing.

The smile on his face spread into a grin once he was alone again, and he let out some low chuckles. "The old fools…." Yes, they were obviously suspicious, but not nearly enough to actually act on anything. He laughed again, louder. Things were going so incredibly smoothly, it was almost getting boring.

A raven came flying over to him then, seemingly ordinary except for the fact of having four red eyes. It landed on the arm he outstretched, and cawed a greeting. Soon enough, however, things would get more interesting; much more interesting…

* * * * * * * *

Sally walked into the library the next day to find Jack pouring over papers strewn out in front of him. "Jack…" She started hesitantly, "what are all these for?"

Jack looked up. "Hm? The papers? Oh, nothing much." He said carelessly, casually slipping a few papers under a book, "Simply plans, things for this year's Halloween."

Sally ran her hand over some books, not really looking at them. "You know, you were gone a long time last night."

"Was I?" he asked absently, "I guess I let the time get away from me."

Sally cast her eyes down. "Usually you at least let me know when you're going to be out – I was worried for a while."

Jack got up and went over to her. "Sally, I didn't mean to do that. I had gone out earlier and thought I'd get back sooner." He took her hand in his and she looked up at him. "I'm sorry. I would never try to make you worried."

"I know…" Sally continued, "and usually it wouldn't bother me. But Jack, I've been starting to have these bad feelings lately..."

Just then a scream echoed through the house; someone was at the door.

"It's probably the Mayor." Jack said, "I better go make sure his head is still on" He kissed her head before going to the door.

Jack opened the door and sure enough, the Mayor had plans in hand and a smile waiting.

"Jack! Just who I needed – can you go over some plans with me? Need to make sure they're in top terrifying shape."  
"Of course Mayor, why don't you come in?" Jack said.

As the Mayor stepped forward, he dropped a paper. He bent over to pick it up, and a dart came from behind him and hit his posterior.

"OW!" The Mayor cried as he jumped, dropping more papers. His head switched to a frown as he turned around, glaringly searching for the source. The only thing he saw was the gate, but could hear giggling. He pulled out the dart, which didn't seem to have anything in it at least, and yelled into his megaphone, "I know you're out there! Come on out!"

"Why don't you make us?" Came the retort, from a hidden Lock. Then, three eggs pelted the Mayor. He growled and threw the dart at the trio as they ran away laughing.

"Those misfits have been causing more problems lately." He muttered as he gathered papers again, "They should either learn how to scare properly or stay in the Hinterlands!"

"Oh! That reminds me, Mayor," Jack said, "on my trip yesterday I found something that needs attending to – the Halloween Door is broken."

"What?!"The Mayor exclaimed, dropping his papers again, "How?" He held up his megaphone, "Sound the alarm immediately!"

Jack put a skeletal hand on the megaphone, "No, Mayor, it wasn't done recently; it looks like it's been that way for a few months. It should simply be taken care of."

"Oh…" The Mayor said disappointedly, "Well, why didn't anyone else tell me?"

"I've asked everyone to stay away from the Holiday Doors," Jack reminded him, "which means at least people are listening."

"Well, in that case…" The Mayor said, "I suppose we should find something to do about that. Now, what exactly do you mean by 'broken'?"

"Well," Jack said, "the door between Halloweentown and the human world is basically shattered-"

"The human world?!" The Mayor interjected, then raised his megaphone again, "Sound the ala-aaahh!" the Mayor yelled as he fell down Jack's steep stairs. Jack put a hand on his head – this might take a while.

* * * * * * * *

* * *

Another chapter! Bahahaha! It was bound to happen, sooner or later...

Merry Christmas! Hope you enjoyed this installment~

Be sure to leave a comment if you can, it helps me remember what I'm doing. :3

(And don't forget to look on my deviantart account if you want to see some pictures!)


	11. Chapter 11

Some more time passed, and the door was conveniently forgotten about. The Mayor had been organizing a committee to organize a clean-up, and also figure out how to fix things, but an annoying raven had continually distracted him whenever he was planning to organize it. Moving inside didn't change things – the creature lurked at windows, attacked walls, even occasionally got inside with him. The Mayor discovered that the raven left him alone whenever he was working on anything other than the Door, though, so he decided to just let it fix itself – Jack had said so himself that it wasn't an emergency, and no problems had happened so far. He never seemed to care that the raven had four red eyes; it was just another odd creature of Halloweentown.

Jack didn't notice – the door was of least concern to him at the moment. Reading through Lenora's papers, he'd discovered that humans were experimenting more with deeper and less understood sciences at the facility. Of course, he could only infer based on the few papers he had, but if Lenora was just one among hundreds of others, they had to be at least somewhat similar. That was how experimentation worked. What he had seen there had changed some of his ideas, too – people were becoming more audacious with what they would try to accomplish, science or otherwise. That meant that the meaning of what was scary was changing, too. What was once restricted to Dr. Finklestein's expertise was starting to be examined in the human world. That meant Halloween was going to have to get scarier. Of course, that was always a plus in Jack's world – but that also meant they were going to have to know what they were up against (fearfully speaking, that is). Lenora's files had said she was a failure, but the reasons he found seemed trivial to Jack; 'not enough intelligence,' 'over-sized wingspan,' 'not very resilient…' She was still small, after all; some things had to be learned over time.

Zero worried about his master and friend. This wasn't as bad as his Christmas kick had been, but he was getting forgetful about things like checking up with Sally and the Mayor.

One afternoon, an incessant knocking finally got his attention. "Hm?" Jack mused as he got up, "I wonder who that could be…?" Usually Sally answered the door, but he remembered that she had left to the Witches' Shop for more supplies. The Mayor tended to use the doorbell and ramble simultaneously rather than just knock.

When he opened the door, he was met by a female version of the Wolf Man. "Miss Sandy," Jack greeted the town's teacher of the young ghosts and ghouls, "How are the children? Horrifying, I hope?"

"Yes, the scaring lessons are going terribly, most everyone's making progress." She replied a bit distractedly, "But I came here to talk to you about Lenora, Jack."

"What about her?"  
"Well," the teacher began, "you know how she isn't exactly the scariest creature around, and she takes fright rather easily..."

"Yes; I thought you were helping her with that."

"Oh, I'm trying Jack! I truly am, when I can; she doesn't take to it very easily… But, the main thing is…" Miss Sandy tried to find the right words, "Well… Lenora's skipping classes, Jack."

Jack looked astonished. "What? Really?"

"I'm afraid so; at first I thought maybe she just didn't feel well, but then I overheard some of the children talking about seeing her around town and such. I've waited at least a week to see if she'd come back on her own, but it doesn't seem like it. I thought you ought to know about it if you didn't already, Jack." She finished.

"No… I didn't." Jack replied, still a bit surprised from the news. "I'll talk to Sally about it… Thank you, Miss Sandy."

The teacher nodded, then left. She passed Sally with a bag coming home. They nodded at each other as they passed. Sally saw Jack at the door and continued over to him. "What was Miss Sandy wanting, Jack?"

"We need to have a talk with Lenora…"

* * *

"Hey, look;" one of the monster kids said, "it's Chicken girl!"

Lenora was sitting inside the entrance to the Pumpkin Patch, by some of the small growing vegetables. She was somewhat used to the nickname by now – almost no one called her by her real name. The small group of creatures came over to her.

"What's up, Chicken girl?" The bat boy Brodie said coolly. Lenora blushed a tiny bit, but not long enough for anyone to notice.

"Not much…" she answered timidly.

"Didn't see you at school today." The mummy boy Nathan added, sounding more sincere than the others, who were really just looking for something to do.

Lenora looked up at nothing. "Yeeaah…" she mumbled. She really didn't like the school. She had been told that school was a place to learn good things, like how to be scary and stuff, which was nice enough, but… Lenora always ended up being the test subject, just like back at the Hospital. (That was what they'd called it.) Plus, she could never be scary herself, even if she really tried to; everyone would just laugh or look pitifully at her attempts. She found it much easier to just avoid the place and the guaranteed humiliation (and often physical pain of either bruising or her heart about to explode from fright). She wanted to get along with the other kids, but so often they just scared her and went off laughing.

"What are you doing in Behemoth's turf?" a wolf girl, Helen, added, "He helps out with the pumpkins, ya know."

Lenora tensed a little; Behemoth was a massive hulk, and the ax in his head just made him that much more intimidating. He didn't even have to try to be scary. He didn't act too terrible, but she'd only seen him a few times; she didn't know if he was actually nice or not.

"Yeah," a zombie kid added, "he goes through the pumpkins and tests to see if they're ready for making Jack-o-lanterns. I've seen him do it sometimes."

"And you know what he does if they _are_ ready…" Brodie left the sentence hanging. The wolf girl chuckled darkly. Lenora didn't like the sound of things, but her curiosity raised up hesitantly.

"…What does he do?" She asked in a small voice.

Brodie brought one hand up above his palm, then made an exaggerated chopping motion.

"Smash!" Helen exclaimed gleefully, "pumpkin guts all over the place!"

Lenora wasn't entirely sure how Jack-o-lanterns were made, so she had no idea if what they were telling her was true or not. She looked around nervously.

"Yeah," the zombie kid continued, "I'd be careful hanging around here. Never know when he might mistake your head for a pumpkin."

"Well," Nathan tried to speak up, "her head looks mostly different than a pumpkin. More like a… a dead flower, or something."

"Yeah, but you see," Brodie explained carefully, "Behemoth's not all there in the head; the ax probably has something to do with it. What his eyes and brain see can get mixed up pretty easily."

An uneasy silence followed. Lenora was pretty anxious by now. Heavy footsteps got all their attention, coming from deeper in the patch. Lenora's breath caught in her throat; was he coming their way? After a moment of listening, it was indeed headed in their direction.

The other kids scattered faster than autumn leaves in the wind, but Lenora felt frozen in place. Oh, don't smash my head in like a pumpkin, she thought, _please_! She saw the shadow begin to show up, and a voice caught her attention from the other direction.

"Lenora!" It was Nathan. "Run! Er, fly! Move!"

She finally awoke from her petrified state, and immediately jumped off her perch and ran.

By the time Behemoth made it over to the entrance, there was no sign that anyone had been around. That was a little odd, because he thought he'd heard children not a moment before…

* * *

"Are you sure that she meant Lenora?" Sally asked worriedly.

"Well, I haven't exactly had time to ask the girl myself," Jack replied, "but there aren't many other children with the characteristics she has. And you have to admit that… she doesn't seem to be taking to scaring very easily."

Before Sally had much time to think about it, the door slammed open and shut. Lenora sped past, too quick to really see properly, then skidded into reverse and ran into Sally's arms. She wasn't crying, but she was huddling as close as she could get, and Sally could feel her heart beating frantically.

"I'm not a pumpkin, I'm not a pumpkin, I'm not a pumpkin…" Lenora repeated to herself.

Sally looked quizzically at Jack. He shrugged his bony shoulders; he didn't know anything about Lenora's fright, but it did prove his point. Sally smoothed Lenora's ruffled feathers to calm her down. "Shh, you're fine." Sally murmured, quieting the girl's mumblings. Jack waited patiently to the side; she usually calmed down much faster when Sally was around. After a while, the whimpering and squishing stopped.

"Alright, what happened?" Sally asked calmly.

"…They told me Behemoth would smash my head in." Lenora sniffed.

Sally patted her head. "Now, you don't believe that, right?" Lenora didn't say anything. Sally made her face her. "I'll tell you, it's not. You can't believe everything the other children tell you."

Lenora nodded, as though she'd heard the same words many times before. She'd forget them at times, but Sally's voice always made her feel better.

"Speaking of the other children…" Jack spoke up. Lenora nearly had another spasm attack; she hadn't noticed him in the shadows. Jack continued, "We hear that you haven't been around school for a while."

Lenora looked at the ground semi-guiltily, avoiding eye contact with either of them.

"Lenora…?" Sally proded.

"Well…" Lenora started, then looked pleadingly at Sally, asking silently to not have to explain. Sally, though she appreciated how evidently cute Lenora looked, was already on her way to mastering the maternal just-keep-talking look.

Lenora sighed before going on. "It's not like I'm learning how to be scarier… The others are so much better at it than I am."

"Miss Sandy is willing to work with you," Jack started, Sally nodding concernedly.

"But it doesn't help!" Lenora whimpered, "They still scare me, get me every time, wait for me when she's not looking!" Sally hadn't known the harassing was that bad for her. "I'm just not scary." Lenora said deplorably before leaving to her room, not looking at either of them.

Jack was mildly surprised – that had really been the most Lenora had talked to him almost directly since they'd met; she usually just answered his questions and somewhat avoided him most other times. He didn't know it was because she was still more scared of him than anyone else in town, not helped by the fact that the other children mocked her for living with the scariest citizen in Halloweentown, but not being scary herself.

"Jack…" Sally began worriedly, "Should we go talk to her? I mean, she seemed awfully upset about it…"

Jack sighed and took her hand. He was used to forming diplomatic relations among the citizens' quarrels, not in his own home. "I'm not sure dear; perhaps we should let her be for a while."

Sally silently consented, though she still looked troubled. Oh, the joys of parenthood.

"I just want to help her feel better, feel the spirit of Halloween, you know?" Sally thought aloud.

"Of course." Jack assured her. "Speaking of which, there's still a bit of planning to do, and I was planning myself on going out for a bit in a few days…"

"Oh, Jack;" Sally said, slipping her hand out of his, "So soon? But don't you have things here that need to be taken care of? Like with the Mayor? He seemed rather concerned with the arrangement of that last wagon." The last time he had 'gone out,' Sally had gotten some pretty bad vibes about it. He'd then come home late and was still even now more a bit distracted than usual.

"Dear, the Mayor can handle himself for a while; he's done so before." Jack argued, "Besides, there are more ways than one to skin a cat. The Mayor's even discovered a few of them."

"Can't it wait at least until after the town's test-run next week?" Sally protested.

"Well…" Jack evaded.

"Surely nothing should distract you from helping prepare the town for Halloween." Sally continued. "I could even help. Maybe… maybe I could help get Lenora to be a part of it."

The children usually were just some added voices as a group to the festivities, as they had yet to learn the more complicated parts to play in. As Jack's 'child,' even if adopted, it was expected that she might take a bit more prominent role. That was going to be difficult if she didn't even participate, which was the usual punishment for skipping duties, in her case school.

Jack rubbed his skull in deliberation before finally giving in. "Alright then, you've convinced me." He smiled as he looked at her."You're rather good at that, you know."

Sally smiled as well, relieved and hopeful that he would forget about his outing. She slipped her hand back to his and held it tightly. She wouldn't ever forgive herself if something happened to him.

* * *

Poor Lenora - she got stuck in the wrong Holiday world, huh?

Thanks to kreugermyerslovergirl for helping me with some ideas 'n stuff. Hopefully will have more time to write on this thing soon.

deviantart (Imaginary-Shadow) is the place for all the good pics! I should hopefully be uploading some of Lenora soon. :3


	12. Chapter 12

A small girl with long, wavy red hair came running through the woods. She looked around for a place to hide, but the trees here were too tall for her to get a foothold. Worried there would be no place to hide, she abruptly stopped to look in a quick circle. There, some color! She ran to the trees, and discovered bright designs on some trees in a circle. She approached the tree with a heart on it – that looked nice. She ran her hand on the heart and discovered a handle. But then she noticed that one of the trees had a hole in place of the design. Perfect!

She grinned, then ran over to it. "Come and find me!" She called out. Looking inside, she saw a woods that looked identical to the one on her side. It mystified her, and there was an unsettling feeling on that side that scared her a little bit, but it intrigued her more. Besides, she'd already started the game. So she tossed aside her fear and hopped inside.

* * *

It was the next day, and Lenora was still sulking in her room. Sally softly knocked as she opened the door. "Hello."

Lenora was sitting on her bed looking out the window. She turned her head briefly when Sally entered, but went back to the window as she came in and closed the door.

"You feel any better today?" Sally inquired hopefully. Lenora didn't answer. Sally wanted to mention something about pumpkins, but then she remembered the incident of the previous night and thought better of it. She came and sat beside the bird girl.

"You know," she began, "you don't strictly have to be just 'scary'. You can also be… creepy, chilling, unnerving."

Lenora sighed. "Why? They won't like me anyway…"

"Now hold on," Sally said, more forcefully, "that doesn't mean it's impossible."

Lenora looked uncertainly at her.

"How about I help you." Sally continued, "I'll help get you ready for Halloween, be… creepier; but _you_ have to go back to school."

Lenora bit her lip worriedly. "I… I dunno…"

"Come on. Give it at least until the practice in a few days." Sally said encouragingly. "We'll show them that you can be just as frightening as they are."

Lenora finally consented with a small smile. "…Ok."

* * *

That afternoon, Lenora was on her way home from school. The others had poked fun at her, but the little posse from before hadn't mentioned anything about the Pumpkin Patch. She didn't know it was because they'd been scared she really _had_ been smashed when she wasn't at school that morning.

Lenora wanted to avoid the Pumpkin Patch herself, but she wanted to prove to herself she could be scary enough for Sally's make-over; to be scary, one had to be brave. One had to have the courage to look into a fearful face and shake a fist at it. She wasn't that far yet, but one thing at a time.

As she approached the gates, her steps got smaller, more timid. She stood at the entrance, unable to go any farther. No one was around. The Wind sighed as it passed, ruffling her feathers and hair a little before moving on. She was doing good, she thought; then she heard the rustling again. Panicking, she almost sprinted away again. But, somehow, she managed to limit herself to just hiding behind the stone wall.

As it got closer, her heart beat faster. She tried to calm herself by closing her eyes and focusing on her breathing – it sort-of worked. She still heard the steps, but they didn't sound as heavy as last time. In fact, they seemed rather…normal. Hesitating not only to gather her courage, but to calm down a fresh surge of adrenaline-powered blood through her ears, Lenora put as little of her head as she could out to see what was coming.

What she saw wasn't a lumbering giant with an axe, or even something she considered scary (which was a surprise); it was a little girl with long red hair, who looked around her age. She didn't have wings, but she didn't have anything else to make her scary, either. Not that she could tell yet, at least.

The girl then saw Lenora, and waved. Lenora ducked back to the cover of the wall in the blink of an eye, but that was just her natural reaction. "Hey!" The new girl called out, "Come back! Please?" Lenora thought for a moment – could she trust this new person? Everyone always wanted to scare her, but maybe this girl was different…

Lenora steeled herself, telling herself that if being brave is what she came here for, she should do it! She stepped into the entrance and looked apprehensively at the girl. Once she came into sight, the girl smiled. It wasn't a malicious smile of victory or playfulness; it was an actual warm smile, like Sally had. Lenora decided then that being brave wasn't that bad, once in a while.

They approached each other, the other girl smiling. "Hi, I'm Suna." She said, "What's your name?"

"Uhm, Lenora." Lenora replied.

"That's a pretty name." The girl Suna said. She was looking at Lenora's wings with fascination. Suna seemed to fit her, Lenora thought, like the sun – warm and bright. Which was a bit odd for Halloweentown, but Lenora liked it.

"Are… you a vampire or something?" Lenora asked.

Suna looked at her weirdly. "No. Why, are you?"

Lenora shook her head quickly. "No. I was just wondering, because you don't seem… umm…" Scary, Lenora thought. But then she realized that she herself didn't seem scary either.

"…What?" Suna asked.

"You don't seem very scary." Lenora said, then cringed, waiting to be proven wrong. If any of the kids said that to each other (except her), they always had to show each other up.

"Well, I hope not." Was all that Suna said.

"…R-really?" Lenora asked incredulously.

"Yeah." Suna said. "I mean, if I _really_ wanted to, I guess I could be scary, but usually it's my friend Creazil who does the scaring. He's lots of fun. In fact, I'm playing Hide and Seek with him right now." She looked around. "It doesn't look like he's followed me so far… But, I'm sure he will. He always finds me." She looked a little concerned as she said it, but she quickly masked it.

"Well…" Lenora started, "I should probably be getting back home…" She didn't want to leave her new friend, but she also knew that Sally would be waiting for her. Plus, if this Creazil person was going to show up any minute, she didn't want to see him being scary.

"Wait!" Suna said, "…You live around here?"

Lenora nodded. "Well, not _exactly_ here, more in town a little, but yeah." Lenora was confused; didn't Suna live around here too? Though come to think of it, she'd never seen her at the school… Even if she didn't live here, though, Lenora didn't want to loose her only friend just as she found one. "…Wanna come and see?"

Suna hesitated a moment, looking back again for her friend. Then she nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!"

* * *

"…and that's what we're supposed to be learning in scare school." Lenora concluded as they approached the steps to the Skellington Manor. Lenora was surprised at herself; she hadn't talked this much to Sally, let alone any of the other kids around. But she found that Suna was easy to talk to, and didn't judge her. Whenever she messed up talking or something, Suna simply smiled and waited for her to continue, instead of interjecting mean names or laughing at her. Sometimes Suna would point at something excitedly and ask about it – Lenora didn't know very much, but due to all her running (and skipping) she sort-of knew where some things were.

"Wow." Suna said as she looked up at the manor, "Your family must be loaded, huh? Nice house." Lenora avoided answering the question; no need to tell her that Jack was the best scarer in town. She'd already pointed out the Mayor (who had been busy supervising the stringing of cobwebs across the Town Hall), and said that he came over a lot.

As they entered the home, they heard Sally call out "Lenora?"

Lenora answered, "Hi! I brought a new friend over!"

Wow, that was fast, Sally thought, Though it's about time Lenora had some friends. She set down the ideas she had been working on for her and stepped into the main hall. "That's horridly wonderful." She saw her new friend. She looked… rather human, actually. Of course Sally didn't think a human child had actually entered Halloweentown apparently unscathed and unshaken; that rarely happened. She must be a vampire or something else that _looked_ human, but wasn't.

"Her name is Suna." Lenora told Sally as she came up and hugged the ragdoll. Then she turned to Suna. "This is Sally. She's really nice and wonderful. I mean, um, terrible."

Suna had been looking at Sally's stitches, interested, but didn't appear to mind them much. Suna didn't see the resemblance, but since they lived together she asked anyway. "Is she your mom?"

Lenora and Sally both were surprised by the question. "Ummm…" Lenora mused, looking to Sally for the answer. She had never really thought about it – 'mom' was a word other kids used. She just called Sally Sally. She'd never had a mom before. "I…guess so?"

Sally eventually smiled warmheartedly, leaned down, and hugged Lenora tight. "Yes; I am."

Suna didn't know what revelation she had brought to their attention, and was soon distracted by something else in the house and went to investigate. Lenora had received hugs before from Sally, but this one felt especially warm; she closed her eyes and basked in it for a moment, hugging her back. Then, she realized her new friend was doing something else and wanted to join her. She moved a little bit, for the first time breaking off the hug before Sally did. "Um, … 'mom', can I go with Suna now please?" The word felt odd in her mouth, almost awkward because she was used to saying 'Sally'; but it felt pleasant at the same time. Like a new drink never-before tasted, but warm and good as it lingered.

Sally felt it too – like a calling she had been waiting years to hear. "Of course, dear." She let her go and watched as the girls talked and looked around. 'Mom'…. What a lovely name.

Sally and Lenora were back in her room, looking out through her window and talking, when they heard the front door close. "Who's that?" Suna asked.  
"…Probably Jack." Lenora said, a bit softer than they had been talking a moment before.

Suna frowned at the fade in her voice. "Is he very nice?"

"Oh, he's nice enough." Lenora replied, "He doesn't always _try_ to scare me or anything. It's just… he just _is_ scary."

"Does he yell a lot?"

"No."  
"Does he hurt you or Sally?"  
"No! He-"

"Does he carry scary-looking weapons or stuff?"

"No, but-"

"Then I don't see what's so scary about him." Suna concluded.

Lenora sighed. "Don't say I didn't warn you…"

As the girls exited her room, they heard Sally and Jack's voices in the kitchen. They walked down the shadowy hallway in the twilight. Suna thought there were a lot of shadows in this place, and not just the house. But that wasn't necessarily unusual; it was the quality of the shadows, they seemed almost alive at times. But for a town of Halloween, she had to assume it was normal. Lenora shared her thoughts, though neither of them knew it; Lenora simply knew the names of some of the lurkers, that was the only difference.

Unnoticed by either of the girls, a shadow detached itself behind them, slowly creeping up on them. It stretched itself tall, then said in a low voice, "I heard you have a new friend."

Both the girls turned and screamed. The shadow was tall and skinny, skeletal even. Suna fell over looking up at it, her scream cutting off when she hit the floor.

Lenora gasped, clutching her heart and leaning against the wall for a moment. She mostly recovered first, used to getting scared often.

"Jack," Sally called testily, "What are you doing?"

The shadow chuckled. "Nothing dear, just welcoming our guest properly."

Suna was still gaping at the lanky skeleton towering above her. Then, just when Lenora was worried he had scared her too badly, she began laughing. She got up, still laughing, and said, "Man! He _is_ scary!"

Jack bowed a little. "Thank you, I do my worst. Jack Skellington."

"I'm Suna." She shook his bony hand, and he walked back to the kitchen.

Lenora looked at her confusedly. "But… he just…" If he had done that to her alone, Lenora knew she would have probably run back to her room and shut the door for the night. Well, maybe not the whole night, but still.

"What?" Suna asked openly, "This is a town that's _supposed_ to be scary, right? You told me yourself they never really mean it."

"Well, yeah, but-"

"But what?" Suna asked, "Scaring others at Halloween is supposed to be _fun_, right? Then you just laugh it off and go on!"

"But…" Lenora continued, "…What if it's really scary?"

"Then they did a good job!" Suna countered, "Just because you really get scared doesn't mean you can't go on. Like just now, I screamed my lungs out because he scared us so good. But then, I laughed about it." She put her arm around the confused-looking bird girl. "Sometimes, it doesn't matter if you are really scared or not – laughing helps it get better."

"…I guess I never thought about that…." Lenora said, more to herself than to Suna.

"Girls! Dinner!" Sally called. And so they headed off to eat.

* * *

"So, do you have any family here, Suna?" Sally asked after they ate.

"Actually, I just kinda found this place while playing with my friend." Suna replied. That raised Jack and Sally's interest, but she didn't notice. She had been thinking about the weird (yet tasty) stuff they'd eaten, but her thoughts now turned to Creazil again. "He still hasn't shown up…" Suna trailed off, remembering screaming earlier. If Creazil was anywhere around, he would have heard her, come to her. He hadn't. "But I'm sure he will any time now." This just proved she was really good at hiding.

"Suna," Jack asked thoughtfully, "are you a… vampire, phantasm; fresh corpse, perhaps?"

Suna giggled. "Nope; just me!"

Sally got up. "Well, it's getting late; the night citizens are starting to get up and out, why don't you two go and look out the tower windows?" Lenora had forgotten about them, and excitedly pulled Suna off. Sally went over to Jack.

"You don't think that Suna…"  
"I'm afraid I do, Sally. Suna is a human."

"But, you know, we really aren't sure, and-"

"Yes, dear, I know, but what else could she be? She acts like she never knew Halloweentown existed, she seems to have no unnatural powers or abilities. And the Door to their world has been in disrepair. It was only a matter of time before this happened."

Sally sighed dejectedly. "But… she seems so happy…"

"Who?" Jack asked seriously, "Suna? Or Lenora?"

There was silence.

"We'll have to take her back in the morning." Jack said.

"So soon?"

Jack looked at her. "You know humans – they probably have search parties out for her already. If they discover this world, the life we know and love will be over."

Sally looked away. "I know…" She leaned against her love's bones. "Oh, why did her first real friend have to be a human?"

"Maybe because she _is_ human; partially, at least…" He said, trying to comfort her.

"What?" Sally looked up at him.

"Oh;" he said, caught off-guard, "that's right, I hadn't told you, had I? Er, well, you see, on my last outing I… looked into Lenora's past. And found out she's an experiment of some sort."

"One of Dr. Finklestein's? A new scientist's?" There were other mad scientists in town; Finklestein couldn't have been the only one to create life.

"No, dear; one of the humans'."

"…And they just threw her out like that?" Sally asked indignantly.

"Well, yes and no, you see-"

"Humans are creating life and just throwing it away?" She didn't think that the humans would become that way. In Halloweentown it was one thing; if humans abused and abandoned Lenora as she believed they did, and she was only one of many, Sally was not going to be pleased!

Jack could see her anger rising. He tried to placate her. "Sally, that's why I wanted to go on that other outing; I haven't figured it all out yet, and there could still be some misunderstandings…"

Sally took a deep breath and calmed herself. "…Fine. Find out after the rehearsal in a few days."

"I will, dearest." He replied, relieved to have her calm again, and happy she finally seemed no longer opposed to his searching.

"But she _can't_ go back _tomorrow_!" Lenora was pleading. Sally and Jack had told her about the situation with Suna.

"It's for the best, sweetie." Sally tried to persuade her.

"I don't _care_ if she's human! She talks to me!" Lenora continued, "And she doesn't laugh at me! And, and she's nice and, she doesn't mind getting scared-"

"It's not just her;" Jack interrupted, "it's who must be looking for her. They will continue searching until they find her; here. And then where will we be?" he said ominously, "Some of the people might even try to take you."

That shut Lenora up. Jack hadn't meant to be so threatening, he was simply telling what he believed to be the truth. In his mind, all humans were possibly connected to experiments like Lenora somehow. How did they know those humans wouldn't still be looking for her? Sally looked at her worriedly; had Jack gone too far?

"…I'll tell her….." Lenora said monotonously, as she turned to leave.

Then, the door burst open. "No other humans are looking for me!"

Suna stood there, defiant. She had been listening on the other side. "The only one looking for me is Creazil, and he isn't human. He's a demon, and he's my friend."

The others were silent; what could they say?

"…Are you sure?" Jack asked warily – it was hard to accept the information so suddenly.

Suna nodded emphatically. "He'll find me, and you'll know it's him because he's got big bunny ears. Like this." She then emulated bunny ears on her head with her hands.

Sally almost laughed, but the gravity of the situation stifled it.

"…Alright then." Jack said, "You can stay for a few days. But if he isn't here by then, we'll take you back to the Doors." Suna nodded seriously. "And if a mob of humans comes through before then…" He left the sentence hanging. Suna nodded again.

Jack left. Sally said good-night, tried to pretend nothing had happened. When they left, Lenora hugged Suna. "I _told_ you he can be scary…"

"It's ok." Suna said. "Creazil will come."

* * *

Creazil was currently asking a scantily-clad cherub about Suna's whereabouts. He had his doubts on if the creature was sober or not, but as the air was so heavy with perfume and other powerful scents his nose couldn't help him much. He had followed Suna's scent to the door with a heart on it; she had touched the handle, and it was an inviting symbol. Suna seemed like she would have gone inside – so he did too. He had spent a whole day searching for her to no avail. He finally asked some of the locals, but no one could give him a firm answer. There were apparently lots of red-headed girls around, though he wasn't sure if many of them were actually little in age, and it didn't help that some of those he'd asked couldn't even see him straight. He was going to have a long search ahead of him…

* * *

Hello again! Yes, I am still alive; just been very busy. Hope you enjoyed this latest update!

Remember, my deviant art page has all my pictures and even these chapters. And thanks again to kreugermyerslovergirl for all the support. :)


	13. Chapter 13

The next few days, Lenora woke up excitedly – she had a new friend to play with! However, Sally told her that Suna probably shouldn't go to the school, and Lenora had agreed to go to school before. Suna hadn't minded, she would wait with Sally. Sally used it as good a time to work on her outfit ideas for Lenora, and Suna helped with that while Lenora was away.

While at school, the other students noticed a little change in 'Chicken Girl'. Not much, for they far too much enjoyed being absorbed in their own thoughts most of the time, but they noticed. She now tried not to scream as much – she still screamed, but appeared determined to do so in shorter bursts. Also, after the screaming, she tried not to run and hide; she didn't burst into sobs; she even tried not hyperventilating too much. The biggest difference, though, was that she smiled. Not at first, but slowly a hesitant smile came to her face after she finished screaming. She was trying out Suna's advice of 'laughing it off'; she hadn't gotten that far quite yet, though she had managed to force out a few laughs once or twice. It had been strange, and had gotten her some stares (although everyone else usually laughed), but it surprisingly had helped her some with the fear. She would work with keeping the smile going for now, and worry about the laughter later. Miss Sandy said the smiling added some creepiness, too, and encouraged it.

"Alright, class," Miss Sandy said, "Let's hear how you wail." The little creatures' voices rose with the wolf woman's hands, sounding awfully loud, and died down again. "Alright Helen, try and make it sound less like a howl, put some more despair into it. Lenora, try bringing it down a notch." Wailing was one of the few things Lenora was actually reasonably horrible at. Since she had so much practice screaming, wailing was simply a bit lower. Of course, Lenora never figured she would be good at it until recently, for she almost always was hiding or covering her ears when the class did such exercises before. Simple participation greatly increased her morale, though, and was helping her be a bit braver.

When school was done, they played and Suna would help Lenora work on being creepy while Lenora showed her different places to go. Suna had been told it could be dangerous for her to wander as a human, but she seemed to accept the counsel with hardly a second thought. They helped Sally with chores, and made sure to keep out of the Mayor's view.

"We're going to be nightmares this year." Lenora said as Suna walked alongside, balancing on a jagged curb. It was the day before the 'opening scream' that evening, or test run of the year's Halloween preparations. Not everything would go off, but what was ready would be checked. The citizens were to sound off their song of scares, and illusion was this year's major theme. The children were supposed to address nightmares in some fashion, and had been learning a lot about dreams lately. Not that Lenora had been paying attention, but she learned a little.

"Really?" Suna replied. Lenora had told her before, but she didn't mind. "How're you gonna do that?"

"Oh, we're not actually going _into_ dreams," Lenora clarified, "but we're supposed to act like we can, like we can haunt. And, the scariest one really gets to do it. Miss Sally told everyone that the witches said so."

"Wow, that sounds like fun!"

"Yeah; it's going to be real scary." Lenora had never been truly excited for the Halloween celebrations – she understood that she was supposed to be, but since she couldn't even get through school without running away crying at some point, she had not been looking forward to the whole town getting into it. But now, since Suna had come, Lenora was rather looking forward to it. Not that she liked the scariness any better, though she was learning to _try_ to enjoy making others uncomfortable; she wanted Suna to have a good time and see her being scary. She knew Suna liked the whole Halloween thing, and wanted to be a part of making her happy. Also, she wanted to show that she could fit the outfit Sally and Suna had made for her. Which reminded her…

"Hey, you wanna help me practice being creepy?"

Suna was used to this request; ever since the first night, Lenora had wanted to try to be like the other kids, be scarier. Not that Suna minded, but she didn't know why Lenora never had anyone else to help her before. "Sure!"

The girls went into a shadowy alleyway (of which there were plenty), and found the biggest shadows they could. Suna went over to one wall and closed her eyes. Lenora went deeper into the shadows and prepared herself. After a while, Suna whispered, "Are you ready?"

No answer.

Suna opened one eye. She looked around; Lenora didn't seem to be in the alleyway anymore. Suna frowned. "Lenora?"

A short, stoic figure came around the dumpster, just out of the light. Suna almost started to run towards her, worried, but remembered that this was _supposed_ to be odd. She walked slowly towards 'the figure'.

"_We are the ones waiting in your dreams…"_

Suna almost didn't see her lips move, and her voice was quite soft. Her expression remained unusually solemn.

"_Turning them to nightmares,"_

Lenora upturned her face into a glower, and spread her arms claw-like.

"_Hearing your SCREAMS!"_

Lenora spread her wings dramatically, but unfortunately the effect was ruined by the narrowness of the alley, and she quickly retracted her wings in a wince of pain as they hit the walls.

Suna had almost gaped for a moment at the scene, subconsciously stepping back a little, but immediately forgot when she saw her friend in pain. She rushed to her, "Are you hurt?"

"No…" Lenora said as she rubbed one of her wings, inspecting it. It was fine. They'd had worse. She then sighed. "Was I at least sorta creepy?"

Suna smiled. "Yeah! I mean, it wasn't _terrifying_, but you aren't in full costume yet, either." She looked back out the alleyway. "This probably wasn't the best place to do it, huh?"

Lenora shook her head. "Yeah… But are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure!" She put a comforting arm around Lenora. "Just don't try too hard, you don't want to scare everyone else away!"

Lenora giggled. "Yeah, right. Fear the wings of Chicken Girl!" They both laughed as they went back to the Skellington mansion.

As the girls approached the Manor, a figure sprang from the shadows and grabbed Suna in a tucked roll. Lenora gasped, instinctive freezing keeping her from helping in the split second it happened. The figure didn't run though; as it held Suna, Lenora heard her gasp happily. "Creazil! I knew you'd come!" She hugged him, and he held her while looking warily at Lenora, who was slowly stopping the panic inside but still frozen. As Lenora's mind calmed, she saw the distinctive bunny ears on his head.

Suna then began reprimanding Creazil. "Now, you can put me down now. And stop staring down Lenora, she's my friend!" Creazil could see that Lenora was no threat, so put Suna down, relieved to finally have her within sight. Suna went over to Lenora. "This is Creazil; you remember, my friend I told you and Jack and Sally about?" Lenora nodded numbly, attempting to swallow her nerves. If he was a friend of Suna's, he shouldn't be _that _scary... right?

Sally opened the door then, noticing that they hadn't come in when she had expected them to. "Lenora, Su-" She saw Creazil then, and cut off. He looked at her, calculating if she could be trusted.

Suna waved at her. "Hey, Sally! This is Creazil, my friend I told you would come for me. Now you don't have to worry about me anymore!"

Sally smiled nervously. "That's... nice." This Creazil looked harmless enough, rather human except for the bunny ears. However, they seemed out of place on the face that was suspicious of all and the tense body that held it, ready to spring at a moment's notice.

Jack joined Sally; he had been taking a momentary break from the Mayor's fretting before the big show. "Who's here?" he asked.

"Creazil;" Sally answered, not taking her eyes from Creazil as his moved to Jack to analyze him, "Suna's demon friend." It wasn't that she didn't trust him, Suna seemed a smart enough girl to have the right friends, but she was wary for Lenora.

"Ah!" Jack said delgihtedly, as he strode down to greet the fellow. "Good to finally meet you, sir." Jack put out a bony hand to shake. Creazil seemed surprised at the gesture, but genially returned it. "It's been an absolute disaster- oh, I mean _pleasure _having Suna around lately." Suna beamed at the reference.

Lenora had finally recovered enough to smile again, and did so timidly looking at Creazil. "She's really been awful fun." He looked at her, and somewhat returned it; Lenora scooted closer to Suna.

"Say," Jack continued, speaking in a somewhat lower tone, "you didn't happen to see any other... 'humans' around when you came here, did you?" Jack was thinking of if any of Lenora's 'caretakers' were wandering around. Of course, he was _also _making sure that no humans discovered the Holiday worlds. Of course.

Creazil thought for a moment, then shook his head. He had seen many things on his journey to Suna, but humans hadn't been one of them. And here she was, having a perfectly good time, making friends even! He wondered if she had even missed him for a moment, then banished the thought with the comfort that she had told them he was coming. (at least they hadn't tried to attack him...)

"Oh. Well... that's good." Jack said. "...I suppose you'll be taking Suna now, won't you?"

Creazil nodded.

Both the girls whined.

"Whaaat? But I was having such fun!" Suna cried.

"But, she hasn't been here all _that_ long..." Lenora continued.

Jack cut them off with a stern though slightly sympathetic look. "Girls, we discussed this days ago; Suna is a human and is not safe here."

"But Creazil's here now!" Suna pipped up.

"_And_,"Jack continued, "her presence here might bring others. Now while Creazil did show up, I have a feeling you two are not wandering alone."

Suna energetically shook her head. "No, we're alone! Totally alone! If anyone shows up, Creazil scares them away."

Jack just looked at her with his empty sockets. "That is my point; you are being followed."

Creazil looked swiftly around, making sure that there was no one in the vicinity. Jack held up his hands to stop him. "I'm not saying they're here right now; I don't even know what it may be. I just have a knack for figuring these type of things." He also knew that one as on-edge as Creazil seemed didn't become that way for no reason.

"I do hate to break up the party," Sally said as she walked over, "but Lenora, you really need to be getting ready; it's nearly sundown and you're not even dressed!"

"Oh!" Lenora exclaimed, remembering that the run-through was still happening. She whirled around to look at Suna, and then Creazil. "Please, can't you at least stay for just tonight? We're having the opening scream tonight! Suna has been helping me work on it, and she wants to see it, right?"

Suna nodded. "Yeah! I _really _want to see it, Creazil! It's gonna be tons of fun!"

"Pleeaase? It's just one more night!"

"We don't even have to stay the _whole_ night, if you don't want! Just until it's over! Pleeeaasee?"

Creazil was used to having to deal with Suna's whining and puppy eyes, though it was hard to hold off on a cute little girl with her pleading skills. Now he was being assulted by _two _little girls; he could only take so much. Eventually, he gave a nod. The girls cheered and hugged each other.

Sally chuckled. "Alright, you ghouls, now let's get Lenora ready quickly so she _can _be a part of it!" She said as she shooed them inside.

Creazil and Jack watched them leave. Jack turned seriously back to Creazil. "Keep a close eye on Suna tonight." He said, "I personally have no qualms with humans, but I can't say the rest of the town feels the same." Creazil nodded, understanding. Nothing should happen tonight, but he would be ready if it did.

* * *

"There." Sally said as she finished adjusting the black dress's short, puffed sleeves. Lenora turned around, letting Sally look her over. Suna had left earlier so that they could find a good place to watch while being unnoticeable; Creazil didn't want to let her out of his sight again either. "Wonderful, it fits! Now, to make the rest of you look darker..." She led Lenora over to the chimney, where she had already set up a ladder, and handed her a small brush. "Just climb up in here and scrub at the black walls; the soot will take care of the rest." Lenora took the brush and started climbing up a little ways. "Try not to breathe it in too much, either." Sally added as she put up a sheet over the bottom to keep the soot confined.

Lenora wasn't really sure how to attack the task given her; the chimney was tight and dark, but she knew Sally was right below her and so started scrubbing with vigor. In a short time, a cloud of blackness surrounded her. She coughed, and started to hold her breath intermittedly, and continued scrubbing. She tried hard to think of Sally, that she was nearby, and how much Suna would like it, but certain thoughts kept interrupting her concentration. Tight spaces; restricted breathing; silence... Her heart beat faster and faster, now not only with the lack of oxygen but with the fear in the memories returning as well. Her arms brushed faster as her panic increased, creating more dust and more obscurity around her. Where was she? She was with Sally, right? Where was she?

Sally heard a crash in the chimney as a body stumbled from the ladder and fell down the shaft. She ripped the protective sheet away in alarm, and a large cloud of soot engulfed her. She coughed, waving the blackness away to try and see Lenora, but it was hard to see anything for a few long moments. Then, she saw a dark blob on the ground, gasping and sucking in the darkness. Thinking quickly, Sally ran and opened a nearby window, letting the ashes and soot whisk away outside. She hurried over to Lenora and brought her out of the cloud.

Lenora clung to her with ferocity, coughing and gagging, her eyes screwed shut from the effort. Sally felt helpless as she could do nothing but wait for it to pass. After at least a minute of sputtering and choking, Lenora began to take slower, if shaky, breaths. Sally wanted to hug her, but was afraid that doing so would inhibit her breathing more.

After her breathing returned mostly to normal, Lenora asked in a hoarse whisper, "Am I scarier now?"

Sally choked up in relief, horrified that she might have almost suffocated the poor girl. She had only wanted to help, but then again her plan might not have been the best thought-out one. Sally rested her own head on Lenora's lightly, replying honestly, "That was one of the scariest things ever."

After that fright, Sally made sure they worked more carefully. Soon, Lenora was back in spirits for the show, and it infected Sally as well. However, occasionally she would cough and it reminded Sally to be mindful. On the positive side, the effect she had been searching for in the first place was achieved - Lenora was covered in soot from wings to toes. They went outside and brushed some of it off, for they didn't want to completely conceal her in black - but they left enough to add to the creepy element.

"Alright now, you be careful tonight, Lenora." Sally fussed as she sent her off to the schoolhouse, "Don't try too hard or you might hurt... something." She wanted to say 'yourself', but she didn't want to dampen Lenora's energy.

"Okay!" Lenora said as she hurried off to get to the meeting place.

"And don't scare anyone too much!" Sally called out, smiling. Lenora seemed to be catching the Halloween spirit at last; maybe things would finally work out.

* * *

"Are you excited Creazil?" Suna asked eagerly on her friend's shoulders. He, as usual, made no reply. She could feel he wasn't as excited as she was, though. "Come ooon, Mr. Grumpy." She said as she looked into his face, "This is gonna be fun!" Creazil merely smiled at her, then went back to scanning the area. Creatures of all sorts were gathered, and thankfully didn't pay much attention to a rabbit-eared demon. Suna attracted some attention, but a glare from him generally nullified it. He would breathe easier once they were out of this town...

* * *

As Lenora got into her place with the other children, there was still much talking going on. Lenora was on edge, but now it was half from excitement. The creatures around her looked more gruesome than usual as well, though she was expecting as much. Nathan had even mentioned she looked creepy. She would have smiled had she not been preoccupied trying to avoid looking at the red stains on his bandages; bloody bandages did _not_ have the best memories for her...

Miss Sandy then clapped her paws to get their attention. "Ok everyone, this is just a practice, but we want to give it our worst scares, don't we?" A delighted roar replied. "Horrible! Now, remember to be quiet until it is our turn, so we can what?"

"SURPRISE!" the children howled, then scurried to their places in anticipation.

Lenora's heart pounded as she hid on a roof. She had been practicing gliding down for this event. It was harder to fly when she wasn't being chased for her life, but she was getting better. She could hear the singing and screaming throughout the town.

Helen the wolf girl hid behind a dumpster nearby. She had to admit that Chicken Girl had been getting better at being creepy, but she was still not near scary. Maybe she'd get there eventually, but in the meantime, Mandy was bored... A demented grin spread across her face as an idea came to her.

She motioned to Monty, who was hiding with a zombie kid across the way. He looked; she motioned up at Lenora, then at the zombie kid, Warton, beside him. Monty understood, and grinned with her. He whispered to Warton, then took the kid's (already detached) arm and tossed it to Mandy. He then slid over a closed switchblade (which he wasn't supposed to have anyway), and her grin grew. The more frightening, the better. She nodded towards Warton, and put the blade in his palm, which closed about it. She grabbed the arm's end, and tossed it deftly up on to the roof, snickering, and waited.

Lenora almost didn't hear a soft thump beside her, but mistook it for her own nerves. She glanced quickly to the side anyway, and caught a glimpse of an arm. She knew that some of the citizens could detach their appendages, but it didn't happen real often, and it still freaked her out. So she tried to ignore it and stared ahead, bracing for her part. "_We are the ones hiding in your dreams..._" She chanted softly, preparing herself. The music was loud, it was practically time. A cold bump against her foot cut her concentration off. She felt a chill go through her small frame, and apprehensively looked down. The arm had rolled itself over, and held something in a fist. She tried to calm her heart, now pounding in her ears, deafening the music. The fingers moved once; a metal blade flicked out of nowhere.

Lenora gasped and choked on more soot. The blade reminded her far too much of a scalpel; the separated arm didn't help the image. She didn't notice the arm toss the blade back over the side whence it came. She falteringly stepped back, then began running to the edge. The music continued, "_Hearing your SCREAMS!_" The arm grabbed on to her ankle before she could get too far, tripping her as she neared the drop-off point. However, the added shock only boosted her adrenaline, which was already pretty high, and she jumped screaming off the building, spreading her wings wide and swooping down.

The arm let go as she glided, dropping off unseen. Warton winced as it hit the ground, but was pleased with the results. Monty and Mandy were cackling as their portions in the song ended; they had seen it too.

The song continued, moved on to other citizens and parts of the town. Lenora had crash-landed again, though she managed to land on her body instead of her wings. Miss Sandy had given a hasty thumbs up to everyone, before quickly taking a few of the kids away to do another part in a different part of town. Lenora was happy that the arm wasn't around her anymore, but she felt like a total screw-up. She didn't even sing along, or glide that well. She knew most all the others had gone off to watch the rest of the performance; she just laid there feeling miserable.

A hand on her head brought her attention up. "Hey, terrorific job, Lenora!" It was Suna.

Lenora looked up dolefully at her. "You don't have to say that..."

"I'm not!" Suna insisted, "I was really scared! When you came out all screaming and flailing like that, I actually jumped and stuff. Right, Creazil?" He nodded, rubbing his ears where she had practically squeezed the life out of them.

Lenora smiled some. "Really?"

"Yeah, absolutely!" Suna helped her up. "Umm... well, Creazil has been feeling like we should go... a lot... Even though he said we could wait." She took a moment to glare at him. He didn't appear to notice. "And I convinced him to stay at least until we saw you! But..."

Suna's face fell. "You mean... you have to leave? Right now?"

Suna looked at the ground. "Yeah... But it's been really great- I mean, 'horrible' fun with you, Lenora!" She looked straight at the bird girl in sincerity.

Lenora took a moment, then smiled at her. "It's ok - you need to be safe." There was still sadness in her eyes, but she knew it was true. The girls hugged, long and tight, before Creazil motioned that they should go; the area was becoming more deserted, and therefore more dangerous. Suna waved as Creazil picked her up, and moved quickly from the area. Lenora waved back, and continued to do so for a few moments after they had disappeared from sight. She wiped some tears from her face, smearing more soot, sniffed, coughed more soot, and hurried to catch up to the other children. Maybe Suna was right; maybe she hadn't been a total disaster!

* * *

What do you know, another chapter within a month or so! Lenora just can't catch a break, can she? Well, at least SOMEONE likes her... Too bad Suna had to go. :(

Thank you so much for keeping up with this crazy thing! I'm sorry for being a bad updater. And thanks again to kreugermyerslovergirl for all the support. :)


	14. Chapter 14

Lenora caught her breath as she entered the crowd. The song had just finished, and people were chatting happily about how well the practice had gone, and suggested improvements to each other. Lenora ignored most of the talking, and went over to her class. She only got scared twice on her way over.

"...That was really quite horrible!" Miss Sandy was praising the children, "With some more practice we can really nail it in the coffin! Mandy, very spooky howl you've got there, keep it up..." And so on. Lenora mingled so it seemed like she had always been there. "...Lenora," Miss Sandy said, finding her, "there you are; I couldn't quite hear you singing, speak up next time. However, you did a frightening job with your flying part! Just work on that landing some more." Snickering could be heard around her. Lenora was still happy; Miss Sandy thought she was getting scarier! Miss Sandy continued speaking to different students, getting congratulatory remarks from citizens... attention drifted away from Lenora.

"Nice flight." Monty said sarcastically, bumping into Lenora from the side, almost pushing her over.

"Yeah," Warton added in a snideful tone, "aside from the whole _flying_ part of it!" He laughed.

Lenora recognized one of Warton's arms as the one that had frightened her. "Hey..." She began, but didn't want to sound too pathetic, "...You aren't supposed to use knives."

"That was _my _knife." Monty boasted, "And he didn't _use _it, he just held it threateningly." Lenora still frowned at him. "Oh, get over it!" He shot back, "The adults get to use them! Besides, if we hadn't scared you, you probably would have _really _messed up!"

"Would not!" Lenora tried to argue. She wanted to believe that she could be scary on her own, without screaming in terror herself, but…

"Yeah you would!" He countered, "You aren't scary, or creepy, or anything! You're just Chicken Girl, always running scared from everything!"

"Am n-"

Lenora was about to argue again, despite her growing self-doubts, when a loud "GRRR!" from behind scared her. Lenora gave a short yelp and ran away, through the crowds, away from the school group. Helen, who had pounced and growled for the sheer excitement all around, watched her go curiously. "What's her problem?"

Lenora slowed down once her initial fright had worn out. She wanted to try to glare at them, like she had seen other citizens do at times, but when she turned around the other kids were nowhere in sight. There were so many creatures around her; the whole town it seemed was crammed together this night. She looked for a familiar face, something to direct herself, but she hadn't paid attention to where the group was standing for the short time she had been with them, and no faces stood out to her. They were all just citizens, laughing and discussing scare tactics amongst themselves. Why did they have to stand so close? She began to feel like she was going to choke on the air, tight with energy and lingering screams.

Lenora closed her eyes, tried to concentrate. She wasn't scared, _she_ was supposed to be the scary one! She had been scary, right? Suna told her so… But then Warton's words started playing back in her head. She was always the one to run, the first one to give a screech of terror, to try to hide from fear. But she had been trying to get over that! She was making progress! But… was she? She could hold back some of the screams, but they were still there in her mind; she acted frightening, but no one ever really bought it. Even now, the only way she could _maybe_ make a foreboding impression on anyone was to be truly scared herself. She hated it! She squeezed her eyes, trying to hold back a few tears of frustration.

A hand on her shoulder brought her head back to Halloweentown. "Lenora, sweetie, are you ok?" Sally asked worriedly. Lenora opened her eyes and gave a quick gasp; Sally was in a frightfully-lovely dress, and her make-up had startled her.

Lenora coughed before slowly answering. "Yeah… I guess…" She didn't want to ruin Sally's dress by burying her face in it, though she thought about it for a moment.

Sally didn't buy it. She knelt down to Lenora's level. "What's wrong? I thought you did horrendously, though I'm afraid I didn't get to see all of the others' parts."

Lenora sniffed. "It's just… how come all the other kids scare me so easily? Why can't I seem to get it…?" A scream in the background made her jump.

Sally hugged her, getting soot all over her dress but not caring. "Oh, dear, it's not that they scare you easier; well, ok, they do, but, it's just… well, they have more 'scary stuff' than you do."

"Like what?" Lenora asked huffily.

"Well, some have fuzzy faces, some have long claws, some can take off their body parts…" She indicated at one of her hands that was perched on her shoulders.

Lenora sighed. "And I just have these stupid wings…"

Sally frowned. "They are _not_ stupid, they're beautiful; _and_ frightening. You just have to learn how to use them to your advantage. I mean, look at Brodie; he doesn't have much more than wings-"

"Sally?"

They both turned; her name was being called from somewhere near a building to their side. Jack stood up and above the crowd, waving once he saw her.

Sally turned back to Lenora. "Now, we'll talk about this later; Jack looks like he wants some help, but I'll be back. And don't think about it too hard, sweetie; just try to have fun." Sally smiled sweetly; Lenora managed to at least stop frowning. Sally missed the energy Lenora had before the whole thing started. Now, it seemed to have been vanished like the sun in a rainstorm. She wished she could help-

"Sally!"

"Coming, Jack!"

As Sally ran off to help Jack with whatever was amiss, Lenora sighed to herself. Maybe… being scary was something you were born with? If so, _she_ certainly didn't have it. She angrily kicked a stray pebble. It went surprisingly high, and hit a tall sturdy man on the back of his head. She quickly slid behind some citizens, changing position. The man turned around, and she saw one large eye in the middle of his head. The cyclops usually didn't take anything the wrong way, but, just to be safe…

She quickly let herself go through the crowd, not paying attention to where she was going, just away. Was it just her, or did the crowd seem to be getting tighter? No, she could still move about between them… but she felt creatures all around her, closing in. Her wings felt constrained, her breathing quickened. No, Lenora tried to think of a mantra to keep calm; she could beat this, she could be scary, she could-

A heavy stomp to her immediate left cut off all thoughts, made her stumble to the side and quickly look towards it. A red bull's head glowered menacingly from a crouched human torso, breathing heavily with massive horns protruding beside her. He wasn't looking directly at her, but that didn't ebb any of the panic. His eyes were red, redder than his skin, and he bellowed mightily, vibrating through her chest. It was too much; she gulped in air, spreading her wings instinctively to give herself more room, gave a shriek, and took off running.

The minotaur sighed as he stood solemnly, and bowed, smiling as those watching his performance clapped. One citizen commented, "That girl had a marvelously chilling scream! You know, I think she's been practicing."

* * *

Lenora ran, like she had always run. She knew she couldn't even glide very well, let alone fly. She knew it would be a disaster if she tried. She had tried to be scary, she really had! But she just couldn't seem to pull it off. Even Suna could do better scaring than her, not that she was there to show it. She felt bodies all around her, heard their hooting and laughing, howling and roaring. They must be teasing her; she couldn't see their faces, but she felt that they were all aimed at her. They scared her as she ran, stimulated by her screams. They didn't notice her tears making dark trails through the soot on her face.

Eventually, she just closed her eyes and ran, tired of shrieking, tired of making her own ears hurt. They were already being deafened by the pressure of her crying. After a while, she stopped sensing bodies around her, stopped feeling anything paved under her feet. She was on plain dirt now, but she didn't care. She just wanted to get away from their jeering, from the anxiety, from her failures. She would never be scary, not ever!

Suddenly, she ran smack into a tree. It stopped her in her tracks, and bounced her to the ground. Lenora had been somewhat sobbing before; after the initial shock of the impact, she now began wailing in earnest. She slowly moved her hands to her head, feeling blood but not really feeling it, just wanting all the pain to stop, to go away. She wanted Sally so bad, it hurt – worse than the injury to her head, than the anxiety, than the scarings. Wasn't that what mom's did, be there when you cried? To hold you and help you feel better? She wanted Sally so bad it wrenched inside her like a hand twisting her gut. She wanted to throw up and yell and clench on to something all at once. However, she couldn't seem to figure out how to do all that, so she just moaned and continued to cry on the cold, hard ground beside the tree, alone and miserable.

Lenora didn't know how long she stayed there. She didn't know when her cries turned into low moans, or when she stopped crying at all. She didn't know when she fell asleep. All that she knew was that she was waking up cold, was having great difficulty breathing through her nose, her legs were sore, and there was sticky stuff on her head and hands. Oh, right; that was her blood…

She looked around to see if anyone had come looking for her. All she found was a large black bird, with four red eyes. Although, it might have been just two – her eyes were blurry from crying and sleeping, and she didn't bother to really count them. She tried sniffing, and ended up coughing. The bird cawed, hopping closer. She rubbed her stiff cheeks and eyes, got some soot in them, and shook her head to try and clear it out. Eventually she cleared them, and now breathed through her mouth. She reached out to the bird, hoping it wasn't another frightful citizen wanting a few scares. It tolerated her petting it a few times, then drew back and ruffled its feathers. She giggled a little; it looked fluffy when it did that. She remembered the blood on her hands, and reasoned that was why it didn't want to be petted. She tried rubbing it off on her dress. The black bird cawed at her, and flew up into a tree a little ways away. Lenora frowned; she wanted to pet it. The empty place inside her was still gaping, but she had found something interesting to divert her attention from it and she was going to take it; anything was better than letting it fester inside with no disruption. The bird cawed again, suggesting it wanted her to follow as it kept looking at her. Lenora slowly got up, her head a bit light for a moment, and followed the bird as it flew from tree to tree.

Lenora followed the raven for a little ways, and then they came to a stream. It was small, but Lenora was grateful for it. She knelt and washed her hands of the blood as best she could, though since it had dried it stained her hands a bit. The raven stayed nearby, but not quite close enough for her to touch. She was just about to clean her forehead when she heard some crying. They were the cries of a woman, in terrible sadness and grief. As Lenora looked up stream, she saw a woman clothed in white with long black hair. She seemed slightly translucent, so Lenora assumed that she was a ghost. When the bird saw the woman, it gave a startled caw and flew off. Lenora remained transfixed by the sight of the woman. As she approached, Lenora could hear her say some words, though she could not understand them.

"_¡Mis hijos! ¿Dónde están mis hijos?"_ The woman wailed wretchedly. The words had a slight resonance to them that held an extra chill for Lenora's bones. She was not sure if she could or wanted to help this woman. Looking closer, Lenora saw her hands turn to claws. Alarmed, Lenora backed away from the water, behind a tree. She didn't want to have to run again… As she watched, the woman's cries turned into howls of agony and frustration, and her hands began pounding into trees at random, leaving deep gouges in the bark. Lenora had a feeling that this was no ordinary citizen out practicing their scares. Despite her great urges to flee, Lenora found herself rooted to the spot. However, when the ghosts' raging eyes turned on her, her terror shook loose the spell and she ran. Again.

She could hear the ghost behind her. Even though there were no footsteps to hear, her shrieks were evidence enough. The trees were too close for her to even attempt to spread her wings, even though she couldn't really fly anyway. So she ran as fast as she could, weaving through trees in the hope to dissuade ghosts' pursuit, though it did not seem to be working. At least the ghost-woman did not seem to be getting any closer. Lenora heard the screams behind her, adrenaline pushing her weak body forward. Her breathing now filled her ears, her heart beat drowned out everything else.

Suddenly, she tripped over something and was catapulted into the air, another body entangled with her. They came to a rolling stopped after one or two moments, and Lenora was immediately set upon by numerous whackings. However, they were not exceptionally severe; simply an automatic response. She heard voices around her, somewhat-familiar.

"Just who do you think you are? Come in all –"

"Take that! And that! You –"

"So you think you can just barge in here, huh? I oughtta –"

Lenora didn't notice one of the voices pause for a moment, realizing what was going on.

"Hey, wait a second." Shock said, holding up her arms. The boys ignored her. "I SAID STOP!" She screeched at them. They listened, and held their masks back from another beating. "It looks like our little bird friend has dropped in."

Lenora opened her eyes and saw the kids who had played with her before. They had their masks in their hands, as if ready for another attack. She could understand that though, some reacted to fear by fighting. She wasn't one of them, but that didn't rule it out. She was still breathless from all the running and excitement, and was just relieved to be someplace relatively safe.

The Boogie Boys looked her up and down, scrutinizing, not quite believing their eyes. This was the same girl who always ran away screaming, who couldn't stand up for herself? Wearing black, covered in dirt, smeared with soot, and dried blood? Lock whistled. "Hey, looks like she finally snapped! So, what happened?"

Lenora looked at him confused. "What?"

Barrel popped up "Did it involve a knife?"

Lenora's eyes widened, remembering the incident. She quickly shook her head, trying to forget it. "N–no!" She stammered, somewhat comprehending their assumptions. "I didn't do anything!"

"Relax," Shock eased, "we aren't accusing you of anything."

"Yeah," Lock reassured, "we just want to know what we missed."

"N–nothing;" Lenora continued, "it wasn't my knife or anything…"

The children's eyes lit up at this new information, and then began talking all at once.

"Really? Who was it?"

"Wow; I didn't think that you had it in you…"

"Did they survive? Was it a big fight? Did –"

Lenora covered her ears, trying to block them out, trying to keep the memory from restricting her breathing. The images of the knife didn't scare her as much as the real thing, but she still hated thinking about it. Her mind was still spinning from ghost woman's chase; she didn't want to overload her already-drained mind. "I was just running away from the ghost lady!" She cried.

The other three fell into silence instantly. They glanced at each other, and then looked at her seriously. "What do you mean… 'ghost lady'?" Shock asked critically.

"S–she was a ghost, I think; she must have been." Lenora answered nervously, "She was c-crying and screaming, and her eyes went red, and her hands–"

"What color was her hair?" Lock interrupted accusingly.

"I –I think it was long and black…" Lenora answered fretfully. She saw the others glance around agitatedly, searching for any sign that the said ghost was around. They all saw nothing, heard nothing, but the mood was noticeably more somber.

"Come on;" Lock muttered, "let's get back to town…" They all began shuffling hurriedly away, pushing Lenora with them. She was confused, but gladly followed.

* * *

Geez, Lenora just can't catch a break, can she?

Thank you all so much for still reading this, and I appreciate any and all comments you might have about it. Till next time!


	15. Chapter 15

The group did not stop moving until they had reached the inside of the city's limits. Even then, they only paused briefly until they had passed a few buildings. Finally, they stopped and rested.

"Alright," Shock said, "we should be okay here…" Most of the other citizens were gone now, at least from this part of the town. The desolate atmosphere served to permeate their unease, though it was put at bay temporarily by their pausing to catch their breaths. Lenora, although probably the most tired of the group, was also the first to recover enough to allow curiosity to get the best of her.

"Do you know…" she began hesitantly, "about that ghost? Why she was crying…?"

Lock looked at her disdainfully; "You really _don't _know anything, do you?"

Lenora looked down and turned away, easily managing to look quite guilty. She was accused of such often, but she considered these three more her friends than any of those she met in town. She didn't see them often, but they generally always acknowledged her. They scared her too, of course, but only occasionally. They preferred playing tricks on other people to actual scaring.

Shock rolled her eyes. "That ghost's name is La Llorona." Lenora looked up at her, interested to hear more. "She used to be a human, once said to be really pretty. Eventually, she got married and had kids and stuff. But then, her husband abandoned her. She thought he left because of their kids. So she went crazy, and drowned her kids in a river. The next day, she realized what she had done and went searching for their bodies. She couldn't find them, no matter how hard she looked. She stopped eating, drinking, sleeping. Before long, she died. But she couldn't go on to the next life without her children. Now, her ghost haunts rivers and streams, looking for her children. But she can't ever find them."

"Yeah," Barrel threw in, "so instead she just searches for other kids. Captures them, takes them away, and EATS THEM!"

Lock hit him over the head with his mask. "She doesn't eat them, you idiot! She drags them to a watery grave! Why would she eat them?"

Barrel looked at him, whining, "I don't know! They get dead either way, don't they?"

Shock sighed, shook her head, and looked at Lenora. "At any rate, she is _not_ good news for kids. The grownups don't really care a whole lot, because she doesn't bother them much. Jack made sure that she doesn't come into town, but that's about it."

Lenora wanted to nod solemnly, but she couldn't get her head to cooperate; her neck muscles seemed frozen in apprehension. She had been right there, within the grasp of… However, again her curiosity was just enough to bypass her trepidation temporarily. "If sh-she's out there… why were you…"

The three children looked as if they suddenly remembered something, and were about to retort back all at once, when they heard something. A trash can had moved in the alleyway next to them. A moment later, a voice accompanied it. "Lenora?" Lenora drew a sharp breath; that was Sally's voice!

"…Sally?" She called out tentatively. She was immediately shushed by the others, who were still wary of any noise.

"Lenora?" came the call again, from a different direction. Lenora wanted to answer, but was afraid that the consequences would be worse. A few tense moments later, Sally herself came around a corner into their sight. Lenora couldn't help herself.

"Sally!" she cried out. Sally turned, a look of surprise and relief on her face.

"Lenora!" They ran to each other, Lenora reaching Sally first. She ran headlong into the ragdoll's open arms, almost knocking her off balance, and collapsed into her embrace. Relief flooded Lenora's senses, bringing some wetness to her eyes – she had already cried out most all of her tears before. "I'm so happy you're alright…" Sally exclaimed emphatically as she embraced the little bird girl.

"As am I." Another voice said. Jack now stood next to them, resting a bony hand on Sally's shoulder. He hadn't been as worried as Sally, but she always tended to over-think things, in his view.

Sally squeezed her one more time before making Lenora stand in front of her. "Though, I have to say, you really managed to…" She trailed off as she registered the Boogie Boys standing uncomfortably behind Lenora a ways, held in place only by Jack's glare. She looked disappointedly to Lenora. "Lenora, I thought I asked you not to play with them."

Lenora looked back to re-affirm who Sally was talking about, then looked despairingly at Sally. "But, it wasn't their fault! They didn't-"

"Oh?" Sally cut her off, "Then they weren't causing any mischief, mayhem, or pandemonium?"

"Please, mom," Lenora pleaded, trying to remember to use that new word, "it's true!"

Sally's breath caught at Lenora's use of the word; she had almost forgotten about it. She looked at Jack for help. He approached the three rascals suspiciously, watching them closely. "Just what _were_ you three doing with Lenora?"

They glanced at each other for a brief second before answering. "We… were helping her, of course." Shock said smoothly.

"In fact," Lock added, "we even _saved_ her!"

"Yeah!" Barrel interjected quickly. Jack raised a nonexistent eyebrow.

"She was being chased by La Llorona!" Shock said dramatically. They didn't notice Sally gasp – she had forgotten about that ghost.

"We rescued her!" Lock continued.

"And brought her back here!" Barrel finished.

"Of course…" Jack mused doubtfully. They all grinned widely. Lenora nodded enthusiastically, agreeing with their story. It was _basically_ true. "Well," Jack finally said with a dismissing wave, "you seem to have done a horrendous job; she's here now and you can go back."

"What?" Shock screeched.

"Out there?" Lock shouted. Barrel shook his head ardently.

A grin crept across Jack's skull. "What's the matter; afraid?"

Their faces all hardened.

"No way!"

"Of course not!"

"Not a chance!"

They all looked in the direction of the Hinterlands. None of them moved towards it.

"Although…" Shock began, "we _are_ kids; and La Llonora–"

"Only attacks _children_." Lock finished her sentence. Jack rolled his eye sockets; there must be _some_ truth to their statement if they were this nervous.

"Fine; I'll go and check the area –but you three better still be here when I get back…" he intoned ominously. They all nodded enthusiastically. "…With your hands visible." They paused, then reluctantly showed that their fingers weren't crossed. Jack went off, and Barrel stuck out his tongue after him.

"We've been looking everywhere for you, Lenora." Sally fussed, "Jack was getting ready to call for a search pack…"

"Hey;" Lock whispered to Shock,, "What'll Jack think if he finds the bag of bugs?"

"Nothing," She whispered harshly, "because he won't _find_ the bag."

"I hid it." Barrel whispered proudly.

"You tied it shut, right?"

"Of course, dummy!"

"Where'd you hide it?"

Silence.

"Well?"

"…In a tree…"

"_Where_?"

Barrel avoided eye contact. "..I can find it again…"

"_You're_ the dummy!" Lock exclaimed as he attacked.

Lenora and Sally were forced to stop their (albeit one-sided) conversation as the tussle's volume grew. Lenora could begin to see why Sally was apprehensive about letting her be around them, but to her they were still better than the kids at school. Maybe it was because they didn't even go to the school, but she didn't care.

Jack approached. "Alright," he said, "there is no one around." The trio ignored him, oblivious to everything but their fight. Jack shook his skull to himself, and then roared at them. They all stopped fighting immediately, cowering for a moment. He didn't see Lenora turn white under the soot and clutch at Sally to keep from letting her legs carry her off. She would never get used to that.

"Now, like I was saying," he continued now that he had their attention, "the area is clear." The trick-or-treaters began skittering away.

"Thank you, Jack." Shock said sweetly as they passed.

"You're such a terrible pal, Jack." Lock added.

"See you 'round, Jack!" Barrel said, feeling like he should say something too. However, what he chose must not have met with approval, because he found himself being whacked by a mask the next instant. He flailed his arms in annoyance, and the trio disappeared around the corner.

Sally glanced worriedly at Lenora once they were out of sight. "You're sure that they didn't do any of this too you?"

Lenora nodded. "They were telling the truth! I got lost in the trees, and they help me escape the ghost lady, La Llorona." Before she could continue, Lenora's stomach growled rather audibly.

Sally sighed. "Well… How about we get you back home, huh? We can clean up the blood and get you some food…"

"You know," Jack mentioned, "the blood _does_ add a nice touch…" an elbow from Sally kept him from adding anymore, and they left together.

* * *

As the trio walked out towards the trees of the Hinterlands, a long shape crawled out of the shadows. "Well, if it isn't Oogie's pet." Lock sneered. Mimipede hissed some –the little cretins had not taken much liking to him from the start; not that he cared one way or the other.

"What're _you_ doing over here?" Shock asked accusingly.

"Looking for Le–" Mimipede began, "eeh-the place where you three could possibly have gone." The slip-up wasn't lost on the trick-or-treaters.

"Since when have _you_ cared where we were?" Shock asked suspiciously.

"Since you're late." Mimipede growled, "Oogie is not pleasant when he's waiting."

Lock snorted. "Doesn't take a genius to figure _that _out!"

"Obviously." Barrel added, snickering.

Mimipede rolled his eyes. "Well maybe next time, _I'll_ go out for the bugs and then lose them."

"We didn't _lose_ them!" Shock argued.

"Barrel might have…" Lock accused shrewdly.

"Did not!" Barrel threw back.

"Shut up!" Shock yelled before the boys could get too into it, "We'll have the stupid bugs."

"You had better hope so…" Mimipede sneered, showing a bit more of his fangs before scuttling off.

Once he was gone, Lock angrily crossed his eyes and formed his hands into fangs by his mouth, doing an imitation of Mimipede. "Get those bugs! Raw rah ragh!"

Barrel chuckled. "Sometimes he's more nit-picky than Oogie!"

"He's certainly whinier." Shock added, then got serious. "But he is right about one thing: we shouldn't keep Oogie waiting." They could all agree on that, and set off in search for the bag.

* * *

Lenora managed to avoid going to school the next few days, saying she was too tired, and flatly evading the subject. Eventually, though, she had to consent to going back. She wanted to argue, but a little bit of curiosity about how that night had gone for the whole class kept her worries at bay. Besides; maybe she'd been surprisingly scary and get to dream walk! It was a very distant desire, she knew, and not likely, but it was something. Besides, she wanted to know who _would_ get it.

When Lenora showed up at school, Miss Sandy was pleasantly surprised – she had been disappointed when Lenora hadn't come back to school and had almost given up on the idea that she would return. Miss Sandy hadn't heard about the commotion the evening of the practice – almost no one had. None had seen her run off directly, after all; Jack and Sally had asked around after some time, but no one had thought much of it, since the girl generally never seemed to be where one expected her anyway.

Miss Sandy clapped her paws. "Alright class, we need to make this place look horrible! The witches are coming by later with the dream-walking potion, and we want them to know we're the scariest little monsters around, don't we?" A chorus of agreement replied as the children set to work making the room look creepier. The scariest creature hadn't been chosen yet, and each wanted to get a chance at the potion. They weren't in their frightening outfits, but they made sure to try to look dreadful. Lenora, who hadn't been prepared for the event, wasn't sure what to do, but Ms. Sandy assured her that if she stayed very clean and white, she could pull off being disturbing.

When the witches finally came, all the kids were lined up together, antsy and excited for the announcement. The witches glowered with pride; they knew when they had attention and how to show off a little. After some demonstrations (all the creatures screamed at the right times; it was polite after all), they brought out a shimmery-looking light grey liquid [5-16-11] inside a small glass flask. They described the process of making the stuff, though not with enough details for someone to be able to make their own, and said that the winner would need to come by their shop later to properly learn how to use it. Then, they prepared to make their decision. The entire class held their breaths, even if they didn't have to breathe in the first place. Anticipation filled the air like a stuffy coffin, making everyone restless. One of the sisters with the flask stepped forward and cleared her throat.

"The scariest creature, who gets to learn to be a nightmare, is… Jirai!"

A girl with copper colored skin and long black hair looked up excitedly. She clenched her two human arms in hope, her eyes shining as she looked up at the witches. "Really?" They nodded, and Jirai did a quick twirl on her six long striped legs attached to her spider's abdomen. She was a daughter of a jorogumo, and had not yet learned how to really disguise her nonhuman half. She had shown great improvement for the practice, and apparently it had paid off. She was not the most popular kid, but fell in among the 'middle ground' group. She was exceedingly thrilled that she had won the prize for the most frightening.

The others let go their breath of expectancy, disappointed that they were not chosen, but most were happy for Jirai; a few were surprised and some grumbled. Lenora was superficially happy for the girl, mostly because she didn't really know her and Lenora didn't remember directly being bullied by her, but she still felt some letdown feelings inside. She knew she hadn't expected to actually get anything, but yet…

"Hey," Brodie said to Lenora in quiet tones, "you weren't _really_ expecting anything, were you?" He didn't say it exactly in a snide tone, but more like… pity.

Lenora became a little defensive. "Well… weren't you?"

"Well… Yeah…" Brodie continued, a bit like he was implying _he_ could, but that it wasn't necessarily the same case for her.

"What he's trying to say is that _you_ shouldn't even think about it." Monty commented spitefully. "You probably couldn't even do it right even if you _did_ get a hold of the potion."

Lenora glared at him, though it didn't do any good, and Miss Sandy called back attention before she could think of a reply. Hastily gathering her courage, she quickly stuck out her tongue at the corpse and sped off to join the other kids.

After school ended, some more scarings, hiding, and the inevitable screams, the image of that silvery liquid still did not leave her mind. Even more burned into her mind were the comments made by the corpse boy. She could prove them wrong; she had done it before. Albeit it was a bit accidentally, but it had been done nevertheless. If there was one thing she was actually starting to learn better, it was locations in town. She knew she could find her way to the witches' shop, probably even in the dark. The idea of running around when the scarier citizens were up and about intimidated Lenora, but right now, in the light, things didn't seem so bad. She believed she could overcome her fear, and resolved right then go out that night and get some of the dream-walking potion.

However, when evening finally did come around, Lenora found her resolve wavering. It was awful dark in the back alleys where she would be sneaking… And there were many creatures shifting about in there, no doubt; her scream had become quite distinctive over the past months, and she was sure to be recognized once she opened her mouth. Of course, her wings were a dead giveaway too, but one could always second guess what one saw in the streets of Halloweentown – voices were a bit harder to mask. She did manage to sneak out of the house, and go for a few blocks, but as she looked into the dark streets, her determination broke into pieces, and she sulkily returned to her room.

The next day was much the same as usual; Lenora was prodded and made fun of, scared multiple times when it wasn't time for such things, etc. There was a short break during the day when everyone crowded around Jirai to hear about how the night had gone for her. She described it, though not quite in explicit detail, and the class was enamored for a while. However, as with their attention spans, they eventually grew bored and moved on. Lenora paid attention though; she wanted to know what to do. She was going to try to go out again tonight. Of course, she told no one. Oh, she wanted to; but she knew what would happen if she lost her nerve again, and this time had an audience. She could never show her face at school again. No; she would get it right on her own, and prove to herself and the others that even if she couldn't be scary, she could at least do things right.

* * *

Well, this is an unlikely set-up, huh? The little bird girl who's afraid of everything and now knows it is going to try to suck it all up for a chance at acceptance, or at least stopping the ridicule for a while.

Sorry it's been so long; I don't plan to keep you in suspense so long, really - it just happens. (being diagnosed with tendinitis doesn't help things...)

Will Lenora be able to find the courage to go through with her plan?

Stick with me to find out~


	16. Chapter 16

The day was a cloudy one, making the usual pumpkin sunlight murkier than usual, even a bit dusky, and as a result more of the evening-type citizens were up than normal. Because the day was so shadowy, most creatures seemed in a largely genial mood as well. Of course, that also meant that more were in the mood for screams at the school, but Lenora managed through it. She did end up hiding in a patch of sunlight for a short time, while it lasted, for the others didn't like the lack of surprise a sunny element imposed, but it soon faded behind the clouds and she had to cope on her own. Because that day was going to be the one when Lenora planned on getting the potion, she tried to steel herself for the evening. She had gotten along alright until the subject of science came up, and inevitably experimentation. Talking didn't bring up as vivid images as actual objects did, but it still made her very uncomfortable and uptight, thus making her an even more obvious target. Monty didn't help things, by pursuing the subject and just throwing in random details and trigger-words he guessed she hated – knife, needle, syringe… that was when she had had to go in the sunlight for a while. But soon they tired of the game when she wouldn't play along, and let her be.

Despite the day's incidents, Lenora still wanted to go through with her plan. She even had an idea of what to do once she got the potion. She would show it off first, of course; no one would believe she had really gotten it otherwise. Then, she would use it; she had even practiced her silent creepy act specifically for it. Even if she wasn't scary, though, she just wanted to prove that she wasn't a dummy, and she _did_ learn some things.

As evening fell, and the sky got even darker, a large amount of creatures began returning to their dwellings. Since the day had been a so overcast and pleasant, quite a few citizens had helped to finish cleaning up and resetting scares for Halloween, and were quite frankly tired. This included Jack and Sally. They rested quite soundly as Lenora cautiously slipped out into the night. While she did somehow manage to glide out her window fairly quietly, she still tripped up on her landing. Fortunately, nothing large was in her way, so she simply face-planted on the rocks in the path. It took some willpower, but she didn't make a sound as she got up and brushed off. It was supposedly still twilight, but the clouds hadn't dispelled in the slightest, and dissipated any remaining light and rather effectively.

Lenora walked tentatively through the streets, which were surprisingly empty. Even the Back-Alleys, a favorite lurking spot for many citizens, looked nearly dead. Lenora passed the club with a bit of trepidation, but no one came out after her. She continued on and wound through the familiar streets, which were much less familiar now that it was dark. Anxiety started to grow inside of her. Was she supposed to turn left here? Or was that earlier? She was now on a narrower street, whose walls towered menacingly above her. Maybe she should have turned right…? She looked down another narrow path. No one. Was she the _only_ one around? Her heart beat faster. She was alone, in a maze of walls, in the dark, save a few low-lit lamps. _She was being timed, wasn't she?_ If she didn't hurry it up, _they'd start shocking her_, wouldn't they? Lenora closed her eyes and shook her head; this was Halloweentown! There was always something hiding in the shadows, somewhere. They surprised her, scared her, but never attacked her. Well, other than some of the school kids, anyway… She quickly looked to a shadow to reassure herself –nothing stirred. We'll of course not, she told herself, not if I'm looking straight at them! She hesitantly turned her back, experienced telling her she would get jumped, or prodded, or something scary; yet the more anxious part of her wanted that, to prove that she wasn't alone.

She waited. Nothing happened. _Are you sure this isn't a test?_ She asked herself. The school type tests, she quickly reassured herself; it would be too much for Miss Sandy, but maybe Monty and – _No_, another part of her argued, _not that kind of test_. She swallowed. What _was_ she out here for again? _Another test_.

"N-no!" Lenora stammered out loud, slightly surprising herself. It was enough of a brief shock to bring her back to reality, for the moment. She knew she had to get back to a larger street where she could get her bearings, if she was going to get out. _Get out alive, at least_.

She started walking briskly back the way she'd come, trying to focus on the witches' shop in her mind. Even with the efforts, though, other thoughts would pop up unbidden, unwanted. _Timing, everything is always timed. She had to find her way out, and soon. But would it be soon enough?_ Before long, she was running through the streets, panicked, lost, and freaking out. Where was Sally? _Did she even exist?_ Why had she left the house? _Had she even left the Hospital?_ She looked frantically side to side, not recognizing if anything was familiar anymore.

Just as she was about to cry out for someone, _anyone_ to answer her, she ran smack into something large and heavy, that mainly hit her torso, and stopped her in her frenzy. In fact, it rather knocked the breath out of her. Everything else in her mind blanked out momentarily as air slowly returned to her lungs, allowing her mind to reset and process her surroundings. She now registered that she had hit something black and cold, and as her breathing approached normal, she recognized the street. Looking up, she saw the sign for the witches' shop; she had run into the large cauldron out front. She took a few long, deep breaths not only help her lungs re-regulate, but her nerves as well. She reminded herself why she was there, about how bad things got at school. Somehow, though, that seemed to pale in comparison to the panic attack she'd just had… But she was already there, after all, and now that Monty had a hold on her science phobia, how long would it be until that happened at school? So, Lenora pushed back her anxiety and approached the door.

She turned the knob determinedly. However, the door didn't budge; it was locked. Her heart sank. She tried again; it was definitely locked. Her mind started to race of its own accord, the first thought being of despair at having to go back out into the streets and find her way back; but before it got out of control, a noise from inside distracted her. It came from far back, to the side. Lenora froze – someone must be in there. She slowly looked around one side of the shop – a door stood open. She deliberated for a moment, but only just– her curiosity had been aroused, and while fear did rise in her, she wanted to know who was inside. Besides, she hadn't seen anyone else for far too long, and she didn't even want to _think_ about returning to the dark, empty streets alone.

She crept over down the side street to the open door, keeping close to the building. Her heart pounded in her chest. She slipped up to the doorway and cautiously poked her head inside. She saw cabinets, crooked shelves, empty bottles –but no people. Still wary, she stepped inside. However, there was a lip in the doorway that she hadn't noticed, which she now tripped over. She flailed her arms and managed to catch herself, but only by catching hold of a shelf as she fell. Unfortunately, the sudden movement shook all the glassware on the unit. Lenora held her breath as it settled, hoping nothing fell. She started to let her breath out in relief after it all stopped, when she heard a rapid skittering of feet from farther inside, coming her way. Her reaction was automatic – quick, hide!

A swift scan and she saw something big and blocky; that would do. Dashing over to the large solid shelf with cabinets on the bottom, she crouched down and tucked in her wings as close as she could. The feet entered the room and stopped. She kept her breathing silent and shallow. As she felt her heart flutter, she thought for a moment – wait, wasn't she _trying_ to find someone? Yeah, she'd probably get in trouble, but maybe they would go back with her so she wouldn't be alone… After she snagged the potion, though, of course. She'd have to figure out how to fit that in there somewhere.

Forcing herself to take deeper breaths, she prepared herself for whomever she might find looking for her. Then, she shot up and stepped out into the open; right almost into a face a little above her height. Shocked at the closeness of the encounter, she jumped and closed her eyes, stumbling backwards, simultaneously uttering a short cry. As she did so, something firm and bouncy hit her on the head, pushing her off balance even more and helping her to fall backwards on to her rear end. For a moment, her mind didn't really register anything, and her body did a split second evaluation to make sure she was OK. The next thing she knew, a hand was covering her mouth tightly.

"Who else is with you?" a voice hissed at her. Scared to open her eyes, Lenora just shook her head to indicate no one. The voice was silent, and the hand loosened a little bit. "…You're by yourself?" it said, less violently and more warily. Lenora nodded her head after a pause, and opened her eyes. She saw Lock perched beside her, scrutinizing her. "You're _sure_ no one followed you?" he asked dubiously. Lenora nodded her head again; if anyone had followed her, they probably would've gotten lost during her panic run earlier. He looked hard at her one last time before finally letting go of her mouth and letting her breathe normally. He then snuck over to the door she came in and checked around before closing it. After that, he headed off back deeper into the shop. Lenora looked around and, unsure of what exactly to do, followed him.

"Well?" Shock asked expectantly as Lock entered.

"It was just bird-brain here." He related, thumbing backwards to indicate where she'd been, "No one else's with her." Lenora came in behind him.

"Well well," Shock said, "look who's flown the coop. So, who put you up to coming out here?"

"Nobody…" Lenora mumbled. Barrel gave a chuckle, though stopped when looked at.

"…Lark's fart." He said, pointing to a stopped container he'd uncovered and chuckled a little again.

Shock focused on Lenora again. "Look, who're you worried we'll tell?"

"If you haven't noticed," Lock continued, "we aren't exactly part of the town's 'popular' group".

"No, I mean it," Lenora said more forcefully, "I came here on my own. I came for the dream-walking potion."

"Reeeaally?" Shock said, almost more like a statement than a question. Lenora's expression didn't change. Shock shrugged. "OK; whatever you say." Lenora had no idea that the group's reactions that night were a little less aggressive and not as nitpicky as usual because they had been up almost constantly since she had last seen them a few days ago. They were still getting things done, but weren't really in the mood to harass her much.

A moment of thought passed. "…Was that _you_ up at the front door earlier?" Shock asked.

Lenora recalled running into the cauldron and juggling the door's handle. "…Maybe…"

Shock shook her head. "You got a _lot_ of practice to be done if you think that is sneaking." Was all she said. Lenora pouted a little, but knew she was right, and simply began looking around at the potions and stuff on the walls and shelves.

She saw some things that Sally kept at home, some things she'd heard about in school, and others she had no idea what they were. Finally, she saw it –the smooth silvery liquid that had been given to Jirai. It was up on the top shelf. Of course. She looked around to the others, who were already back to their rummaging for… whatever they were looking for. She looked for a stool or ladder of some sort. Over there, a stool! She went over and grabbed it, bringing it back to the shelving she was looking at. She got on top and reached for it –she was still a good few feet away. She tried jumping a little; she simply managed to almost topple off the shaky piece of furniture.

"Hey; " Shock's voice startled her a bit, and she turned around to see the trio watching her with amusement. "do you want to crash to the ground, or do you want the potion?" Lenora turned a bit red at their sniggering, but agreeably got down from the stool. Shock arranged it so that the boys got on top of the stool, Barrel on the bottom, and Lock on top, while she watched to make sure they got the right potion. Lenora stood off to the side and tried not to get in the way. After a few tries, they finally managed to balance on each other.

"Ow, watch your foot!" Barrel complained.

"Watch your face, you ninny!" Lock threw back as he waved his arms to gain better balance.

"Both of you, watch the potions, you morons!" Shock growled. If they fell into that shelving unit, it wouldn't matter _who_ was asleep or not, they'd most likely get caught.

The boys settled into what seemed to be a solid position, and Lock started reaching for the potion. Well, he didn't really know which one he was supposed to reach for, so he just blindly guessed. "No, that's the wrong one!" Shock nagged. So he put it back and got another. "NO." She stated shrilly. "It's _silver_."

Lock rolled his eyes. "Well you could've _mentioned_ that." He said as he put the green stuff he'd grabbed back and grasped the correct container. As he grinned sardonically at Shock and waved the bottle, Barrel wavered some beneath him. "Hey!" Lock barked, looking down, "The point is to keep still, ya twit!"

Barrel looked reproachfully back at him, with a few extra potions and things under his arms. "Don't look at me! It was the stool!"

Lock sneered. "Yeah, _suuure_." Shaking his head, he began climbing down. However, his foot slipped a little, knocking one of the bottles out from under Barrel's arm.

"HEY!" Barrel exclaimed, lunging for the lost item. Consequently, Lock tumbled over backwards, toppling off of him and to the ground. Barrel also lost his balance and fell out from under the devil. As they landed, a shattering of glass was heard.

Barrel had managed to twist around so that he fell on his back; most of his stuff was okay. One had fallen out of his grasp and crashed on the ground, but it hadn't had much in it anyway. Lock had landed the opposite way, and was now sprawled out on the ground. He would be fine; maybe a bruise and a few cuts, but not bad. The container, however, was toast. It had shattered on impact into many pieces, some shooting off under the shelves and such. The silvery liquid pooled around the fragments of glass, creating a pretty image for something so broken.

Lenora had recoiled at the crash; now, she looked on in dismay. The potion was running all over the place! The beautiful, shimmering fluid was slipping around on the floor, dissipating by the second. It was useless now; she doubted she could even gather enough to fit into a thimble. Unwittingly, she started choking up a little. She had come all that way tonight, fought through the gaping streets, the memories, so that she could maybe, just maybe, have a chance at proving she wasn't a failure. Now, this! She hadn't even been directly involved in the endeavor and it had failed. Not only that, but she would have to go back through the emptiness without even the knowledge that it had been worth it…

"You numbskulls!" Shock was yelling, after she had checked to make sure no one else had heard the crashes, "Look what you did! Grah; I don't even know why I put up with you two!"

"_Us_?" Lock pronounced defensively, "You think that _you_ wouldn't have fallen?"

"Of course not!" Shock replied.

"Oooh, ok;" Lock continued as he brushed glass off and around him, "then _you_ can stand on that oaf next time and see how easy it is!"

"Hey!" Barrel argued as he got up himself, "It would have been fine if _you_ hadn't kicked me!"

Shock was about to start a real fight, when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. It was Lenora; she was on her knees now, tremulously touching a small pool of the spattered potion. She looked stunned, or distressed, or maybe both. Shock hadn't thought it had been that big of a deal to the girl, but it appeared so. Normally, Shock would ignore such nonsense, but they had actually been trying to help for once, so she went over to her.

"Look, kid;" Shock began, "it really is a shame that such a nice-sized potion went to waste, but it's not much of a surprise with those two working with it. Plus, that kind of potion isn't really all that hard to come by; you just gotta wait 'till they have it in stock…"

Lenora snapped out of her daze, and was now looking at her. She sniffed as she put on an obviously-forced smile. "That's ok; thank you guys anyway…"

All three stopped what they were doing for an instant.

"…What?" Lock asked.

"…Thank you for trying to help me." Lenora repeated, though it came out a little odd-sounding because her sinuses were starting to fill again. She was mostly thinking about how she would be made fun of because someone would find her the next morning, still holed up in the witches' shop, or on some random corner, hugging herself tightly. Then she'd have to tell them _why_ she was out roaming at night. That would only make the jeering worse…

Shock saw the girl's eyes tear up as she stared into empty space. "Oh, for the love of –" Shock gave a heavy sigh of defeat. "Come on, you daisy, before you start growing something with those waterworks." She motioned for Lenora to follow her.

Lenora, startled, looked up confusedly. "Huh?"

"Maybe the witches have more of that stuff in a different room." Shock continued as she started towards another doorway. "If they had that much in one container, there's gotta be more _somewhere_…" A little bewilderedly, Lenora hurried to follow her, though made sure to avoid the fallen glass. Lock and Barrel looked briefly at one another before following.

They walked through a few rooms, Shock glancing at labels and things as she walked, before coming to one with only large containers and a few cauldrons sitting around. Not everything was filled; most of it seemed only half-used or less. This back room was older than other parts of the store, and it showed. This must have been a bulk storage room. Shock assertively approached the nearest cabinet, and looked around inside. Not finding what she wanted, she moved to the next one. It took a little searching, but she eventually emerged with what looked like a pitcher. She looked inside it briefly before smiling satisfactorily and holding it out to Lenora.

"See? I told you they'd have more of it. A whole quart of dream-walking potion." She giggled darkly. "I could even have some fun with this…"

Lenora eyes were shining as she looked at the potion, then at Shock. This was wonderful! It was enough to even share with others! Now maybe the other kids wouldn't pick on her so much. "Thank you…!" She exclaimed, and before any of them knew it Lenora had rushed up and hugged Shock. They all stood in astonishment for a moment, but soon enough Shock was prying free with her other hand.

"Yeah, yeah; watch the wings! Don't wanna knock this potion over, too." Lenora obediently retreated; but she still smiled rather brightly. Shock shoved the pitcher into her hands. "Just… don't mention it again. To _anyone_. Really – I don't want to get in trouble for _your_ mess, you got it?"

Lenora nodded sincerely; she knew that the trio didn't have the best reputations in the first place, and she didn't want to go and cause them even more problems. They had really helped her so much, after all. And they seemed to put up with her a lot better than the other kids. Why? She didn't know, but she didn't much care, either. It was nice to have somebody other than Sally on her side once in a while.

"Well…" Shock muttered abruptly, "I guess we'll see you later." She and the boys waved briefly as they exited the room, back to their business. Lenora wanted to thank them again, but they had turned into another room out of sight before she could even get half-way through it. She let her voice fade, and looked happily at the pitcher again. This would help solve her problems; it wouldn't make her scarier, but it might buy some acceptance from others…

She looked to the second door in the room, which looked like an exit, and froze. She had somehow entirely forgotten about the getting-back-home part. "Um… guys?" She called nervously. They wouldn't have left already, right? She hurried to get to the other rooms, to make sure they were still around, when she stumbled on a loose floorboard. She plummeted forwards, her arms trying to clutch the potion and her wings spreading automatically. Unfortunately, the combination didn't work very well because she had limited room to spread out, and she still fell on the floor; the potion fell with her. Gasping, Lenora scrambled to get up as quickly as possible; the lid had come off, but not entirely. Lenora fixed the top as she surveyed around her. There was some liquid on the floor, but it didn't look like a full quart's worth. She took the top off to make sure there was still enough in there. Yes, she saw something sloshing around inside. However, the lighting wasn't very good, and she couldn't really tell just how much was in there. So she looked in and tilted the pitcher up, juuust enough to catch the light-

She was suddenly rushed by an unexpected wave of the potion. It sloshed over the edge and into her face. She quickly lowered it, coughing and sputtering as she tried to breathe through the liquid running over her nose and mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut to try to keep it out of there as well. She still held the lid in her other hand, and blindly tried to put it back on the container; she eventually succeeded and then attempted setting it down on the ground beside her. It didn't tip over, or so she hoped, and she reached up to her face to clear her eyes. She breathed with an open mouth, and tasted the potion; it was cool and almost watery, and seemed to slide around of its own accord. She could tell she had accidentally inhaled some of it; there was some on the back of her throat and in her nose. Once she could see again, it looked like she had dipped her fingers in silver paint. Her head felt a little light. Or, maybe that really was liquid silver… She blinked hard, and shook her head. The dream-potion was supposed to ease you into sleep, but still allow you to hang on to consciousness, Lenora remembered hearing. Maybe that was one of the things Jirai had learned; to hold on to being alert in some sense while still going through to the dream state. But it wasn't supposed to work _this_ fast, was it? She was starting to lose her bearings again, but this time it was up from down that got confused. Maybe it was the amount…? She no longer really knew, or cared; her body was floating in nothing, or was it her mind? Either way, it was rather disorienting, but somewhat comforting as well. Then, she lost contact with the ground without even opening her wings…

The three had entered the room just in time to see Lenora go unconscious. When they'd heard her worried call earlier, they'd just rolled their eyes at her naïveté. However, when they heard her fall the first time, they looked at each other and tensely waited for someone to make the first move. After a few moments, and none of them had moved, Shock gave an aggravated huff. "Well don't you two just jump up at once!" She said sarcastically as she stalked off. However, they weren't far behind. After assessing that it was just the potion putting her out temporarily and that the pitcher was upright in a firm position, they had returned to their rummaging. She would probably wake up before anyone else got there, and still have time to get back.

"So," Lock began mockingly, "are you two going to do each others' nails next?" Barrel chuckled maniacally.

"Shut up!" Shock said, annoyed, and kicked them both.

"Hey!" Barrel interjected as he failed to dodge her boot.

"If you two bozos hadn't _dropped_ that first potion, she never would have done that." Shock sneered, though not as harshly as she could have.

"If Barrel hadn't have dropped _me_, it would have been fine." Lock accused.

"Yeah, like it's all _my_ fault?" Barrel shot back.

"If either of you had listened to me in the _first_ place…" Shock continued.

Before it could be carried on into a full fight, a sneering sigh interrupted them. "Now what are you arguing about?"

"None of your business!" They all snapped as Mimipede skittered over a wall. He closed his eyes and made an expression as if to shrug his shoulders, if he had any.

"Just asking."He opened one eye to look at what they had gathered thus far. "I assume that you have everything?"

"Almost;" Barrel said, going over to one last shelf and searching the labels briefly. He scooped up a little bit of a powder, then threw it into Mimipede's face, where it exploded into an opaque puff of black dust. The creature instantly recoiled, shaking his head clear the cloud faster. Barrel laughed hysterically for an instant before abruptly stopping due to large, angry fangs coming face to face with him. Then he only chuckled halfheartedly; "Oops – bad aim." Mimipede glowered at him for a moment longer before forcibly turning away, though he was obviously ready to attack the child. The other two giggled like mad behind their masks, which they had just slapped on for that reason. Mimmipede ignored them.

"Just put the things in the tub and get them back to Oogie, _without_ any other delays." He growled on his way out.

"Aaww," Lock snickered, "the pet doesn't like getting smoked out."

"Guess not." Shock added, then grabbed another potion she had set down earlier. "Come on; maybe we can beat him back and keep him from lying to Oogie."

"Again." Barrel grumbled as he took his things out. They all piled into the bathtub and departed, with no sign of Mimipede anywhere.

* * *

Lenora came to herself slowly, groggily. She felt hard ground under her, nothing around her; where was she? As she opened her eyes and saw a cabinet in front of her, she remembered –the witches' shop. She had come here for… Oh yeah! The potion! Her eyes flashed open and she bolted upright as she remembered what happened. Unfortunately, her head but did not appreciate the gesture, and it immediately became light and dizzy. She put one hand on her head and one on the ground to steady herself as she closed her eyes tightly, willing the pain to go away. Eventually, it did; for the most part anyway. She opened her eyes again and turned slowly to the side. She saw the pitcher still sitting upright, at least that was OK. She didn't hear any rummaging anymore from the rest of the shop, but her head couldn't focus on a whole lot right now. She woozily reached up to the nearest cabinet to support herself as she tried to stand. She numbly felt like she had hit something with her hand and knocked it over, but she didn't really register it at the moment –she was focusing on keeping her eyes and feet steady, and they were not cooperating very well. Finally though, her vision straightened and she could breathe easier. She pulled herself further up, and leaned heavily on the cabinet to be able to keep on top of her shaky legs. Now, if only she could stabilize well enough to grab the pitcher…

She breathed slowly, concentrating on strengthening her legs, which are already starting to feel better. She calmly straightened up and centered herself; there, she felt like she was almost in control again. She looked at the cabinet she was holding onto and started letting go. Her eye was caught then by an overturned box with a fairly large opening at the top corner –it was on its side over the edge, pouring a red powder onto the floor. Lenora gasped, and immediately lunged for the box, grappling with it to get it back up right before the entire contents spilled onto the ground. She ended up leaning heavily on the cabinet again with one of her elbows because her feet were not entirely response yet, but thankfully nothing else fell. Lenora breathed a sigh of relief when she stopped the flow of powder, but was still disappointed to see a very large pile the floor. Unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot she could do about it –the opening wasn't big enough to try shoving it back inside easily, and she hardly knew if it was safe to touch. She finally straightened up on her own legs, and regained her balance walking over to the pitcher, avoiding the red pile. She picked up her potion, and left to the other rooms to see if the trick-or-treaters were still around. She didn't notice one of the puddles of the potion spilled earlier get disturbed by her feet, and splash towards the pile of powder.

"Hello?" Lenora called out. No one answered her. She looked in the next room. Still nothing. They must have left, she thought. Of course, who could blame them? It wasn't like they had come there together, why would they think of leaving together? She was a little disappointed, sure, but that was nothing new. It had nothing to do with her worries of the streets, she told herself, don't be silly. She could easily find her way back from here; she could take a more direct route since it was later in the night…

Then she noticed something behind her. It wasn't anything solid, or really that tangible; just a dark mass in the corner of her eye. She turned around, and saw a huge plume of smoke, more maroon-colored then black or gray, although those colors were in there as well. It was coming from the room she had been in. The powder and potion had reacted and were forming a thick smoke. There was no fire, but she didn't know that. Lenora blanched; this was not good! She started moving towards where the smoke was coming from, but thought better of it when she couldn't even see the next doorway. She sprinted over through the rooms until she found the room she had first entered, and tried opening the door. It didn't budge. What? How could a door be locked from the inside _and_ out? It didn't matter right now, the smoke was spreading further throughout the building; if she got stuck in it, she could suffocate! Looking around frantically, she saw a window situated above a desk. If she could get on top of it, she could get out the window.

Setting the pitcher on one side of the desk, Lenora scrambled up onto it herself. She reached for their window, and tried finding latches of some sort. Not finding any, she tried pushing on it, pulling on it, both the top and bottom. It didn't seem to want to move, even after pounding on it a few times. Risking a glance back, she saw the smoke begin to enter the room. Her panic level rising, she gave another adrenaline-powered shove, and it finally gave. She almost fell out of the window due to the unexpected give, but she caught herself. Suddenly, she heard crackled and insane laughter going off all around her –it must have been an alarm system. She paused only long enough to grab the pitcher, hesitated only for a split second before jumping out the window. She stumbled upon landing, but managed to stay on her feet. The potion sloshed some, but there wasn't enough left to make it out. She didn't even look behind her as the smoke came billowing out of the window as well; she just took off running down the streets.

* * *

Well, isn't this exciting? A bit threatening too, I suppose, but juuust a little.

Didn't expect the infamous trio to take pity on Lenora, but surprise! And they didn't even try to sabotage her! However, she seems to manage to do that to herself quite nicely...

Anyway, thanks for sticking with it this far! Comments are greatly appreciated.


	17. Chapter 17

One of the witches shook her sister awake beside her. "Come on; the alarm's goin' off, get up!"

The sister speedily got up out of her bed, if a bit groggily. "We finally catch those miscreants?"

"I don't know," the other replied, "but there is one way to find out." They grabbed their brooms and headed out.

Lenora's feet pounded the pavement, taking her away from the smoke. She no longer cared if anyone saw her or not, though still no one seemed to be around; she just needed to get away from the dark reddish clouds. They arose in a column behind her, no longer chasing her but still looming over her. She slowed as she came to the opposite end of the square as the adrenaline's peak passed, taking a moment to calm herself and check behind her. There was the smoke, pouring out of the one window and into the sky. Since there were already clouds up there, the heavier smoke heaped upon itself above the shop. The shop still looked intact, but the ominous nature of the smoke kept her from thinking positively about the situation –she assumed that a fire was simply building energy before erupting visibly, although she hoped that it wouldn't. Then she remembered about the alarm and took off running again, clutching the pitcher with both hands.

She turned a few corners, surprising herself a bit by keeping her bearings better. She was just starting to think she'd make it back to the manor when she almost ran into someone hovering around at about her head level. Lenora luckily skidded to a stop before colliding with the broom rider. Unluckily, there were also very few citizens who rode brooms around Halloweentown.

"Hey, watch-" The witch started, and then stopped when she saw who it was. Her eyes narrowed. "And what are _you_ doing out and about right now, hmm?"

Lenora stood catching her breath and trying to think of an explanation. "Well… umm…"

The witch's sister drifted over beside Lenora, noticing the pitcher in her grip. "And lookit this; a mysterious pitcher of…. what, exactly, my dear?"

Lenora's mind raced. "I-it's just for… for Sally!" she sputtered as she clutched it, "Sally wanted it."

"That doesn't answer the question, dearie."

"And it couldn't wait 'till morning?" The first asked suspiciously. Lenora shook her head, not trusting herself to say much more.

The witches obviously didn't trust her. They kept eyeing her as they had talked, circling her, and eventually stopped a short distance in front of her, muttering among themselves. Lenora tried to surreptitiously inch away from their gaze, but she wasn't moving very speedily.

"What I want to know," said one witch subtly, "is if and how she got into our shop. We didn't leave anything outside, did we?"

"No, I don't think so." the other said as she glanced at her sister, momentarily overlooking Lenora; "And Sally doesn't have a way… to…" She trailed off as she noticed something in the background. As she focused on that something, it became clear to her that it was smoke; and that it was above the approximate location of their shop. As the horror dawned on her face, her sister looked as well. Upon split-second comprehension, she immediately turned on Lenora.

"What did you-?"

Lenora made a break for it as the witch lunged for her, barely escaping her talons. However, she was not to be shaken not so easily. As Lenora attempted to escape, the witch pivoted on her broom and grabbed at one of her wings. Fear and anxiety not helping the sudden clutch, Lenora gave a shriek as she flailed, flapping and shaking loose her wings, losing the pitcher in the process. Unprepared for such wildness from the girl, the witch lost her grip and tumbled off her broom. The commotion confused the other witch, who was unsure whether to help her sister or get the girl. Lenora helped make the decision for her, as she took off running while her wings were only half folded and disappeared down more streets. The watching witch quickly dismounted and helped her sister back up from the ground. Some puddles of what looked like silvery liquid shimmered around the pitcher now rolling on the ground. "Come on;" she reassured, "we'll deal with her later." Her sister nodded as they mounted again and headed for the smoke.

The alarm in her mind thankfully kept other thoughts out as Lenora wound through the streets again. Her subconscious had somehow fixated a map in her mind to tear through, and focused on that more than other panicky thoughts. She finally reached the main entrance for the Skellington manor, although the gate was closed for the night. Pausing to decide whether it was worth the risk of opening the squeaky thing or better to try flying over it, Lenora glanced over her shoulder to determine how close the witches were. However, she did not see any flying brooms, or hear angry shouts, or anything. It dawned on her that the witches must have gone off to go to the fire at their shop. At first, the thought brought relief; but only for an instant because then she realized that after the crisis was over, the witches would come for her. They wouldn't be subtle about it, either. Not only would they confront her themselves, but they would tell Jack and Sally as well. Jack would probably want to punish her in some way, and even the thought of him glowering at her sent chills down her spine. She didn't want to even imagine what Sally would do… Sally wasn't as scary as Jack was, but Lenora still felt mortified at the idea of Sally knowing Lenora had stolen something, _and_ managed to set the witches' shop aflame! Not only would Lenora feel intensely guilty about it, but Sally would probably go along with whatever punishment Jack suggested… Add to that the fact that she had now for certain lost the dream-walking potion! Nobody else had been expecting her to actually succeed in getting it, because nobody else had even known she was going for it, but _she_ knew. Lenora knew that she was a failure. _She_ knew that, even when she really tried, things just didn't go the way she planned; they almost always took a turn for the worse. No matter what she did, she would always have that hanging over her…

Lenora couldn't handle it. So many things piling up against her, all at once; how could she be expected to cope with all this? She scrunched her eyes up as she felt a few tears escape, and shook her head to make them go away. She couldn't think, but she knew she couldn't go back to the Manor. So she opened her eyes again, took a deep breath, and took off running down the street, away. Away from everything.

Lenora didn't know where she was going, she just had to keep moving right now; she also had to find someplace she could hide later. But she couldn't focus on that at the moment, she just tried to keep moving and keep her mind from focusing too much on any specific feeling. She knew that, if she let it, she'd be overcome and unable to escape anywhere.

Eventually, fueled by frustration and resentment, she passed out of the town and onto the dirt. It was less resilient to her feet, and depressed slightly under her weight. The rain and humidity from earlier had softened the ground; it was even still a little damp. She felt lighter on it, though oddly enough it also seemed to release more of her energy. Ultimately, she came to a stop in the woods. She was panting. She had come by a way that she saw Lock, Shock, and Barrel use occasionally – she hadn't really thought about it at the moment of decision, but it was probably just because this was a way those three used, and they were the closest things to friends she had. If nothing else, their frequency of the trail suggested that at least La Llorona didn't come by as often…

Now that she had stopped, though, and regained her breath, Lenora noticed that there was a light mist floating through the woods. She tensed up inside her mind; that would make it easier for things to sneak up on her… At least it wasn't as thick as the fog from the fog juice at school. She couldn't hardly see a hand in front of her face in that stuff; which usually meant she was repeatedly scared until she nearly ruptured someone's eardrums with her screeches. Lenora backed herself up against a tree for security. No; this was better than that….except that the isolation of the area gave it more creepy factors. A chill went through her body as the cold night air passed over her. At least she should be the only citizen out here tonight, if the town had been any indication. Though, it still didn't give any guarantees about La Llorona…

Was that a twig snap she heard? She froze. After a moment, she realized that it couldn't be La Llorona because the ghost hadn't made any noise the last time she saw her, except crying. But that still didn't allow her to move. She sorely wanted to, wanted to look and find out if anything was there, if any_one_ was around; but she couldn't seem to force herself to. There, there it was again! The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, her feathers bristled. She waited for another sound. Nothing. Lenora stayed tense, ready to spring should anything happen. As the silence wore on, she tried coming up with explanations, but couldn't think of any. Finally, she tried to brace herself; whatever it was was probably going to scare her anyway, so she might as well get it done with now by facing it rather than letting it attack her. She had already gone through probably the worst experience of the night; she didn't want to have to think about it getting worse. She took a deep breath and jumped out from behind her tree.

At first she saw nothing. Nothing above the mist or above her head. Then, she looked down a little; the four eyed raven from before was there, occasionally pecking at some sticks that got in the way of it attacking bugs on the soft earth. Lenora relaxed immensely. She still didn't know where the bird came from, but she knew that it hadn't once purposefully tried to scare her, or so it seemed to her. Albeit, the bird did end up leaving her to La Llorona the last time she saw it, but the bird had been just as startled as she. Lenora thought back to the last time she had seen the bird; it had only been about week or so ago. Odd; it felt like a lot longer… She had been crying, alone, running away from it all… Like she was now. Like she probably would be for the rest of her life. Lenora could feel her eyes tearing up again, and tried to push them back down; she found out last time that crying only brought emptiness, headaches, and no relief from the grief…

"He seems to go for the beetles."

The sudden intrusion made Lenora's heart skip a beat, and she gave a loud gasp as she spun around in shock, almost making herself fall over in the process. In fact, she probably would have fallen, if she hadn't grabbed onto a tree for support. The stranger gave a low, dark laugh. "I seem to have a talent for… 'appearing' out of nowhere. Do forgive me."

The… 'man', though Lenora wasn't quite sure what to call him just yet, was wearing a long blackish-grey robe that entirely enveloped him, and had black hair almost as long as his robe. His hair also seemed to cover a good half of his face; Lenora couldn't quite tell, but there seemed to be almost a red glow under the hair there... But many things of Halloweentown were odd, after all – she could go without knowing a few details about some of them. His skin was exceedingly white, close to the color of Jack's bones. A white skull also glistened on the robe's clasp. She felt somewhat reminded of Jack by looking at him; she therefore felt a bit apprehensive for the moment.

"When the rain softens up the dirt, more bugs come up on top of it." He continued, then indicated with a finger towards the raven. "He tends to wander when there are more bugs to be had, perhaps because he can be selective."

Lenora looked warily, yet interestedly at the man. "… Is he yours?"

"Yes."

"Oh…" She hadn't thought the bird had belonged to anyone. She was somewhat disappointed to find out that it did; she had thought she had actually found something on her own…

The man took a few steps forward. "His name is Pariah."

Well, at least she now knew the bird's name. "Pariah…" She repeated to herself, looking at the bird closer. Although he had four red eyes, he didn't look all _that_ menacing. Just… different.

"It means that he is an outcast, has been rejected; that he doesn't 'fit in'." The man continued, explaining the raven's name.

"Like me…" Lenora mused, staring at Pariah. She had not intended to say it out loud, although she did. She didn't notice a smirk appear on the man's lips.

"I suppose so." He commented, sending a glance the bird's way. The bird paused in its rummaging, looking up at his master. Then, it shifted its gaze to Lenora, and took a few hops towards her.

Lenora held her breath unconsciously as she also approached Pariah, hesitantly putting out her hand to stroke him. He didn't move as she knelt down and laid her hand on his feathers. He shuffled a bit as she stroked him, but otherwise didn't do much. A small smile crept across her face as she continued petting him.

"So, what is a child like you doing out here in the woods?" The man asked casually.

Lenora continued facing away from him. "Uumm… Just… out stretching my wings?" She tried.

"You did a fair amount of running out here to be working your wings." The man observed.

Lenora stopped petting Pariah. "… Yeah…"

Silence.

"I just…" Lenora started, "I just don't know what to do anymore."

The man stepped a little closer. "What do you mean?" He asked obligingly.

Lenora sighed. She didn't know this person, or even what he was, but he was the only one around for her to talk to right now. Besides, if she looked at Pariah as she talked, she felt like she was talking to him, which made it easier. "Everything I do turns into a disaster… Nobody at school likes me… The only reason people come to me is to scare me and hear me scream…" She was stroking Pariah again, trying to keep her voice together.

"Doesn't sound like much fun for you." The man remarked appropriately.

"It's not!" Lenora continued, her voice getting a little tighter, "Plus, the witches in town hate me, and I'm pretty sure I burned down their shop, but it was an accident!" Lenora stopped stroking. "And they're going to go and tell Jack, and Sally won't stop him, and…" She stopped, her throat and mind constricting enough to cut off her speech.

"It sounds like everybody is against you." The man stated.

Lenora nodded, and swallowed to allow herself to talk again. "P-Pretty much…" She looked further down the trail she had entered by, down where the trick-or-treaters might have gone. They were the only ones who didn't condemn her for who she was. Well, other than Sally; but she wouldn't protect her for long if she went back now… And then a thought came to her.

Lenora turned to look at the man, who was closer than she remembered. "But… not _entirely_ everyone." She said, planting a little hope in herself.

The main raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Lenora nodded, convincing herself as she elaborated. "Y-yeah; I have… a _few_ friends… That… Well, they don't live in town, so… I was going to… go see them."

"Really now?" The man said, intrigued.

Lenora was a little unsure how to take his comment, knowing the trick-or-treaters didn't necessarily have the best reputations, so just nodded after a moment.

"These 'friends' wouldn't happen to be the notorious Boogie Boys, would they?" He continued.

Lenora, still unsure of his opinion, made an intermediary "Eeeehhh" sound that suggested he was correct, although didn't out rightly confirm it.

"I was just wondering." He said indifferently, "Curiosity is an intrigue of mine."

Lenora let out a little breath of relief; she was still wavering a little in her split-second decision to call them her friends, when they had never attested to wanting to be hers before. But, they _had_ helped her that night… Albeit, it was in stealing something… And it hadn't had the best consequences thus far…

"Although…" The man continued, "You _do_ know why they're called that, don't you?"

Lenora began petting Pariah again. "Well… yeeaah…" She answered evasively, "Sort-of… They used to work for someone called 'The Boogie Man', and… he wasn't very nice…"

"Yes…" The man continued, "Were you also told _what_ they did under him?"

"Umm…" Lenora drew out, "Somewhat…"

"Were you aware that they _kidnapped_ someone from another Holiday world?"

Lenora's head bolted up, and she stopped petting Pariah. "W-what?"

The man smiled eerily. "Oh yes; they actually took more than one person, if I recall correctly. But only one of them they took back to Oogie Boogie. Sandy Claws was what they called him. He was of large stature and really rather friendly with them. Then, they just up and carried him off, back to their tree house. I heard that Oogie had a few things 'cooked up' for him…"

Lenora was shocked; she knew that Lock, Shock, and Barrel had done some bad things, but… kidnapping? Not even the citizens in Halloweentown tolerated that. Although, technically, kidnapping was another form of stealing, which she knew they did, and she had already stolen something that night… So, were they really as bad as everyone said?

"Now, I'm not saying that they themselves are bad," the man continued, "but… certain creatures can have a great influence over those they are around…"

"So… it was The Boogie Man, er, Oogie Boogie who made them do it?" Lenora asked, searching for answers that her mind was finding hard to grasp.

"I'm not saying it was _entirely_ him, either." He protracted, "Everyone still has a choice about whether to follow what they are told or not… After all, they didn't _have_ to continue working with him, did they?" Lenora was unsure how to respond. "All I am saying is that, when working with The Boogie Man, the Boogie Boys tend to have… ulterior motives."

Lenora was really getting confused now. What was this man saying? First, he brings up the fact that Lock, Shock, and Barrel actually kidnapped someone who was being nice to them! She had to admit, that did seem rather plausible, although she didn't want to believe it. Then, he brings up that they used to work with The Boogie Man, whom she had only heard stories about, but did _not_ ever want to meet. (She was glad that he seemed to have disappeared.) But then, if The Boogie Man was gone, the trick-or-treaters were better people now, right? She tried to think about it; while they had helped her earlier, it had been to steal something… which was still a bad thing. But yet… they didn't tease her as much as everyone else. That helped even things out… right?

"At any rate," the man interjected, seeing her intensity of thought, "I'm sure you have already heard plenty about those children and their adventures. You can decide for yourself if you should trust them or not, after all."

He then paused for a moment, as if remembering something. He began again with a regretful tone. "How terribly rude of me; I neglected to mention who I am." He gave a slight inclination of his head as he stated, "I am Demise."

Lenora rested her hand on Pariah; she was thus far liking the bird more than his master, though she couldn't entirely say why. But she felt like the introduction was awaiting a response, namely hers, and cautiously answered, "…I'm Lenora."

"Splendid." Demise replied, and his smirk grew a bit wider. Lenora _knew_ that she didn't like the way he said that… But her mind was still wrestling with the other information he had given her, so she wasn't sure what to believe anymore, even from herself.

A noise drew both of their attention to the trail Lenora had come in on, further in the woods. It sounded like arguing, loud and raucous.

"I suppose that would be your… 'friends'?" Demise intoned.

Lenora hesitantly nodded. "I… s'pose so…" Suddenly, Lenora realized her situation: she was in the middle of the Hinterlands, where La Llorona could find her anytime, talking with a strange man whom she'd never met before, and sharing practically her life-story. And he was getting her to doubt whether she had any real friends! Although, he did have some valid points…

Before she could debate any longer, she got up. "Well, I better go over and…." Lenora couldn't think of anything. "Umm… Well, I'm just… gonna go over there now." Pariah flew over to Demise's shoulder. She watched him a moment before adding, "And… thank you… for letting me pet Pariah."

Demise held his smile, though turned it gentler now. "It is really no trouble at all. Actually, I think he gets somewhat lonely, with only me for company out here. Nothing else but bugs and trees around, really. He seems to have taken a liking to you, as well." Pariah ruffled his feathers as if on cue.

"You know…" Demise began, right as Lenora was ready to take off, but she paused for him to finish his thought, "If you want, you could come out and pet him more regularly, if you wanted to."

Lenora's heart panged; was he actually… offering _her_ something? Something that she actually _wanted_? She must have misheard him. "W-what?"

"Oh, it wouldn't have to be scheduled, or anything," Demise continued, "Just… if you happen upon him again, you could stay with him a while, if you wished. Keep him with you for a while. For company."

Although Lenora's heart could hardly believe what it was hearing, and longed for it to be true, she was still a bit wary of him. "I…. I don't know… I mean…." Panic started creeping in on her mind; should she trust this stranger when she wasn't even sure she could trust her friends?

"You don't have to decide right now," Demise reassured her, trying to dispel the franticness in her eyes, "Just… keep it in mind if you ever get lonely…"

Lenora looked up at the man and nodded, if a bit hesitantly, mumbling a small "Ok…" Then she took off to find the trick-or-treaters who were still fighting in the distance.

Demise's warm smile changed into a mischievous grin as the bird girl vanished into the woods. Now, all he had to do was wait…

* * *

Finally, we get a name to this guy!

Well, this is a reversal of roles; Lenora actually has a listening ear that isn't Sally! But... can he be trusted?


	18. Chapter 18

Lenora wasn't entirely sure where the trail led, but thankfully the noise of fighting was easy to follow. She soon saw the trick-or-treaters in their signature white tub, although it seemed to look a lot less white than usual. She subconsciously smiled as she approached; whether they were really her 'friends' or not, she had a strong feeling that they would at least accept her. And they wouldn't yell at her too much, either. Sure, they squabbled all the time, but that wasn't an earnest assault specifically on any one of them. It wasn't the same as being singled out and attacked.

As she drew near to the tub, she could tell they hadn't seen her yet. That wasn't unusual. She knew that, at least in town, whenever she saw them, the kids generally acknowledged her a bit negatively, but they did acknowledge her. Her reception hasn't been met with quite as sparse reactions the past few times, so she had hope that it would be even better this time, outside of town. Perhaps she could even gather the courage to greet them first… Lenora waved a hand as she got closer. "Hey!"

The trio immediately froze mid-argument, and all eyes looked towards her. Somehow, the tub came to a jerky halt as well, as if sensing the awkwardness. Lenora came up to the side of the tub, and tried to act like nothing was out of the ordinary, like she had just happened to meet them out in the woods late at night, which might have even been early morning by now. She tried to ignore their bewildered stares, putting aside the proof that they were still not accustomed to her being around. Unfortunately, her mind did not supply her with words that helped the situation much. "So…. Um… What's up?"

The group continued to stare at her for another good 5 seconds. Finally, Lock broke the silence. " '_What's up?_' That's the best you can come up with?"

"What are you even _doing_ out here?" Shock demanded, "Weren't you going back to your 'mansion' something?"

"Yeah," Barrel added, "and what's the deal with the giant cloud of smoke in town?"

Lenora's face fell. Of course, they _had_ to bring that up. "N-nothing, really…"

"You know," Lock stated, "you really suck at lying." The trio was being a lot less 'cordial' than they had earlier, but then again, then they had just been on business. Now, they were being out-rightly intruded upon; it was a different situation.

"I-I mean," Lenora corrected, "I don't know– I was just in the shop one minute, and the next, there was smoke coming in all around me, and then the alarm went off, and –"

"You set off the alarm?" Shock yelled. The entire tub groaned.

"Good going, birdbrain!" Lock shouted sarcastically.

For once, instead of cowering, Lenora felt put off by the statement; she had gone through a lot that night, and it had all started with meeting the trick-or-treaters at the witches' shop. Well, actually, it had begun much earlier, but they were now perpetuating it. She had trusted them to help her; she was trusting them again right now to listen to her. In fact, _they_ were the ones who had left her locked inside earlier! And here they were, trying to throw it back at her? "H-Hey! You could've left the door or something open for me! I was just trying to get away from the smoke!"

Barrel snorted, "Hey look, the bird's growing guts!"

"Tch, seems like maybe so." Lock sneered.

"Whatever;" Shock interrupted, not wanting to harp too much, but still remembering the teasing from the boys earlier that she was going soft, "we helped ya once already tonight, and we're sort-of busy right now, so if you could just go on back, wherever…"

"But still," Lock continued, obviously curious, "there wasn't any smoke when _we_ were in town…"

"I was getting there!" Lenora huffed. "I told you I don't really know what happened; there was this powder, and it fell over, and then I tried getting out, and I had to keep the potion from spilling–"

"Wait a minute!" Shock barked, noticing something, "….What happened to the potion _you_ had?"

Lenora should've expected that, too. At the moment, she was still too incensed to bother trying to come up with an excuse. "I couldn't help it! I dropped it when the witches came and –"

Before Lenora could get any more out, Shock was at the edge of the tub, grabbing Lenora's dress near her neck, practically throttling her, and screeching in her face. "YOU TOLD THE WITCHES?"

Shocked by the sudden outburst, Lenora was back stammering again. "_N-NO_! I didn't! I-I didn't say anything! Especially not about you!"

After a few moments of continued glaring, Shock shoved her off. "… Then what _did_ you do?"

Lenora was silent for a moment. The brief burst of anger she just had was being subdued by the encroachment of the despair she had felt earlier. She looked away from the trio. "I… I ran….."

She expected them to laugh, or at least mock her, but instead they immediately began scanning the area around them, on their guard. "You led them here, didn't you?" Shock accused.

What? How could they even make that connection – No, she didn't care. They were being snappy and harsh, and weren't giving her a fair chance to explain anything. "No, I _**didn't**_!" Lenora shot back, the despair now mingling with her frustration and anger to make her voice more vicious than she or anyone else had ever heard it before. "The witches did _not_ follow me here, and I didn't tell them _anything_ about you!" The trick-or-treaters were forced to stop their scanning to stare at her, for such vehemence commanded attention. "I did _not_ try to set the place on fire; I was _trying_ to escape from it! I _wasn't_ out to go and break anything; I just wanted the potion to make the other kids _like_ me! I didn't _try_ to be a screw-up; it just happens with every little thing that I do!"

The other three were stunned into silence. This girl, who hadn't seemed like she could sound angry even if she had just seen someone steal her candy, had just chewed them out. Not only that, but Lenora stood rigid outside of the tub, with an actual glare on her face. Actually, it almost seemed more of a glower – other than the fact that it was tinged with tears. Before any of them could gather enough composure to say anything, she continued.

"I ran away from the witches, and I'm _sure_ they didn't follow me. But… I know that, once Jack and S-Sally hear about it…" She left it hanging. Her face changed from furry to grief, though she tried futilely to hide it. Before she could let herself collapse, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and continued. "So I ran again. I ran until I was way out of town." She opened her eyes and looked off into the distance for a moment. Then, she shook her tears away and turned back to the trick-or-treaters. "And then, I saw you guys." Her voice had a little more optimism to it, not exceptionally so, but it was noticeable. From the tone, it was obvious that she had expected them to be more sympathetic, but her hopes had been rudely rejected.

It was quiet for a number of long moments afterwards. Not only had the trio been yelled at by a coward, but she talked of them like… like she had _wanted_ to see them. Like she wanted acceptance from _them_, Boogie's Boys, the ones usually avoided at all costs. It was somewhat unnerving, and they didn't necessarily like it.

"…So, you figured you'd come over and share your sob story with us?" Lock charged, being the first to recover, and trying to shatter the mood. Boogie's Boys didn't like being caught by surprise. They had a reputation to uphold.

"Um, I guess;" Lenora said clumsily as she sniffed, most of her anger spent now; "If that's what you call it…"

"…Well, now that you've got that off your chest, or whatever;" Shock interposed, and Barrel continued.

"We've… got things to do."

"….Yeah." Shock finished. "And you can go back to…. Yeah; good luck with that."

Lenora was caught off guard. "…What?"

"You know," Lock scoffed, "back to Jack and Sally. It's not like they're going to _kill_ you or anything."

Lenora was still trying to process what had been said. "T-Tonight?"

"Yeah."

"…Right now?"

Lock looked at her as if she were an idiot, forcing him to repeat himself. "…Yeah."

Lenora wasn't sure how to take this sudden change in her plans. She had just expended a lot of energy with that outburst, not to mention the running earlier. She was rather drained. She wasn't sure if she had enough strength to try and fight the others any more. But then, if she _did_ accept going back, she'd have even more challenges waiting for her…

"….N-no."

The trio wasn't really paying attention to her anymore, or at least they were trying not to; they were making sure their stuff was settled again, but Barrel hadn't got the hint. "What was that?"

"No." Lenora repeated, more firmly.

Shock looked at her skeptically. "… Yeah, _riiiiiiiiight_." She drew out doubtfully. Once the trio had set their minds on something, they didn't often change easily.

"I'm not going back there." Lenora stated determinedly.

"What, do you think _we're_ gonna help ya?" Lock asked mockingly.

There was silence for a series of moments. Long moments.

"You gotta be kidding me…" Shock muttered under her breath.

"Well," Lenora started, "you guys live way out of town; maybe I could just –"

"What, take you and drop you off in the forest somewhere? Sounds like a plan to me." Barrel interjected.

"No!" Lenora tried to continue, "I was hoping that I could come with you and stay-"

"Hold it!" Lock interrupted, "You think you can just come and _stay_… with _us_?"

Lenora could feel the frustration writhing inside her again. It was still fairly new to her, and she as yet didn't know how to control it entirely. "Well it's not like you guys live with anyone!"

There was silence again. A bird cawed somewhere in the distance. The trio's faces looked more somber. Then, Shock bit the bullet. "Look, ki- …._Lenora_. You do _not_ automatically get free access to our place just because we _happened_ to help you out. Once." She let that sink in for a moment. "Now, we realize that your situation sucks, a _lot_, but we can't really afford to risk having Jack come out to _our_ place and search it because his 'little angel' is gone, especially if you _are_ there." She paused, as if in thought, but then shook her head and continued. "He doesn't like us much in the first place; it wouldn't help things if_ you _were hiding out." She was trying to still be tough on the girl, though her resistance was weakening a little the more she thought of the situation. She growled at herself; maybe she _was_ going soft.

Lenora's discouragement grew as Shock's words got through to her. Her heart sank. Even those whom she thought were her friends were rejecting her…

"Besides," Barrel continued, "How do we even know we could trust you? It's not like you've done anything for us. And you couldn't even keep a hold of that potion!"

Lenora remained stunned. Even in her moment of need, they were refusing to help her. Maybe that man was right…

The trick-or-treaters were really feeling awkward by this point, shuffling inside their tub as best they could. "So… yeah." Barrel added lamely, trying to force a reaction out of the girl. Yelling, crying, running – _something_ was better than the nothingness that was evident on Lenora's face. At least an action they could work with, but this? It was just plain uncomfortable.

"Come on…" Lock mumbled as he hit the tub, waking it up and setting it back in motion along the pathway.

"…Good luck, Lenora." Shock muttered as they took off. They didn't really hate the girl – they just didn't need any more problems.

Lenora continued standing in her place, lost in her own thoughts as the tub departed. However, Shock's last words eventually penetrated the veil of hopelessness descending upon her. They touched her lightly, but resonated. '_Good luck_'… Perhaps… the trick-or-treaters _were_ bad, as they certainly tried to make it apparent they didn't care about her just now, but maybe not _entirely_. Otherwise, they would have laughed at her more. Her heart, so weak from all the turmoil it had endured in the past few hours, latched onto the idea with all its hope. Yes, perhaps they were rude and selfish, but that didn't mean that Boogie's Boys were heartless. Lenora just needed to be shoved in the right direction, and it appeared that they weren't exactly on that path. Maybe they thought they were protecting her by keeping her away from them. But she didn't care what they had done in the past. Even if they _had_ kidnapped someone, they were better people now! Right…? After all, although she had been deeply cut and criticized by them just a few moments ago, they hadn't really laughed at her. They had simply told her that she had to take care of things herself.

Lenora looked back the way she had come. She_ knew_ that she was not going to go back into town, back to… She didn't even want to think about what. She still wasn't sure what to think about that guy who had Pariah… Demise. She didn't want to think about him right now, either. Ahead of her here was something new, unknown, intimidating… and was moving away from her at a fast rate. Lenora hardened her resolve. She wasn't going to let opportunity escape her. She was going to take care of this herself. She began going after the bathtub.

The trick-or-treaters were pretty much oblivious to everything at that moment. They had forgotten what they had been fighting about earlier, and the mood had become rather solemn from the bird girl's intrusion. After a while, though, Barrel noticed something. "Hey… I think she's following us!"

Shock rolled her eyes. "Right;" she said sarcastically, although it might have been somewhat believable, "as if there were only _one_ trail through this forest."

"No, really;" Barrel insisted.

"Oh come on;" Lock droned, as he turned to look behind them, "even if she is, it's not like she could catch up to…" He saw that the girl wasn't walking, but was running. And she was rather quick about it, too.

Impatiently, Shock took a glance as well. "What are you two worried about?" She focused on their path again, but took another glance since she received no reply. Lenora was visibly closer. "What the–?" She had hardly expected such determination from the girl, despite her apparent distress earlier. She just didn't seem like the kind of person who would or even could forcibly do anything, let alone be stubborn.

Shaking out of the surprise first, Lock growled, "Then we'll just go faster!" and kicked the tub. It obediently increased its pace, so that Lenora was no longer advancing on them.

Lenora followed them for at least the next 15 minutes, very possibly more. She never gained ground, but she always kept the bathtub in her sights. They tried twisting and turning through the forest, but one way or another she managed to keep track of them. Eventually, they went through a small part in the trees and down a hill, slightly out of her sight for a moment. Pushing herself, Lenora crested the hill, and had to pause for a moment. Amidst her heavy breathing, she felt awed at the sight of the strange conglomeration of a treehouse front of her, rising from a deep pit surrounding it. It seemed similar to some of the houses in town, but cruder, and looked bigger. She caught sight of the tub as it wound up the trunk of the tree and into a door of some sort. Looking for how to get to the tree-island, the only connection she could see was a very rickety plank-and-rope bridge, with some of the planks missing. She almost wondered how the tub could've gotten across, but decided to focus on getting herself across first. Having regained some of her breath, she jogged down the hill to the bridge. She stopped, resting as she looked for another way across – that bridge did _not_ look stable enough to trust. She noticed that there was a large cage suspended far above the bridge, large enough for even her with her wings to fit inside. However, she didn't see any way of getting to it… She looked over the edge, down into the hole surrounding the treehouse – it was a long way down. After a few minutes, she was breathing normally again, and could see no other point of connection to cross. Unless…

No, she shook her head to herself; she hardly trusted herself with gliding, how could she even attempt to make a flight, even if a short one? So again, her gaze came back to the bridge. After staring at it for a while, she sighed and tried to convince herself that it couldn't be that bad. The trick-or-treaters had made it across, right? And they did so every day, or at least every week. The bridge hadn't fallen apart from that traffic… Yet. She warily put one foot on the first plank. It creaked ominously, but seemed to hold. She put her whole weight on it, with her arms and wings spread out for balance. The bridge wobbled a little, accommodating for the weight on it, but otherwise nothing changed. She waited for a moment before taking another step, to the next plank. The same story, though the bridge swayed a little sideways. Feeling more confident, she retracted her arms a little on the next step. However, ahead of her lay the gap. It looked a lot bigger now that she was facing it up close and personal. She tried judging the distance to the next plank after the gap, but even with every possibility of physically stretching herself running through her head, there was no way to simply step over the void. She wishfully looked up to the cage; it was still far, far away, and way out of her reach. Even if she tried jumping, which wasn't likely to happen, she couldn't reach it. She looked back to the problem in front of her. Jumping…

Even as her subconscious made a realization, her conscious mind fought it for all it was worth. No, no no no no no; _glide_ across that abyss? But it wasn't really a _great_ abyss, another part of her reasoned; it was just a large gap. And it wasn't like she had to actually 'glide' – more of… make an 'assisted jump'. But come on, she still fought, avoiding looking down; jumping that was insanity! As the word 'insanity' passed through her head, the evening's previous events ran through her thoughts in a flash. She paused; if anything counted as insanity, she had probably already done it and gone past it. She sighed heavily as she looked at the gap again, resigned that she might as well finish things with yet another insane action. As long as she didn't think about _what_ she was doing, but _how_, she should be ok.

Lenora bent her legs a little and gave the bridge a small test-push, to see how much stability and force she could expect to get back and help her into the air. The bridge bobbed, and made her loose her balance a bit. She wavered, swinging her arms back out to stay upright. Not so good on the stability side… Unfortunately, it would have to do. She carefully took a few steps back, making sure to stay centered. Then, she rushed forward and leapt into the air, spreading her wings and arms wide, lengthening her legs as much as possible. For a split second, she might have looked like a graceful dancer who had finally grown wings and taken flight. She hardly noticed how fast her heart was beating as she struggled to will herself farther over. Then, she realized how far she still had to go to get across, and flapped her wings frantically to push her along in the air before gravity took over again. One of her feet clumsily landed on the edge of the next whole plank, but just barely. She scarcely managed to get her next foot under her, her wings still thrashing, before the other foot slid off the edge, throwing her even farther forward and into a chaotic run across the rest of the bridge. It trembled crazily under her, and she was sure it would shake apart at any moment, but the next thing she knew she had touched solid ground on the other side, tripped over a root, and was thrown to her hands and knees. But she was alive. And not down in the pit. Her arms shook as she sank down a bit in shock – she had made it over! Her heart raced loudly in her ears, and almost drowned out her heaving breaths. She had gotten across the bridge in one piece… _and_ had used her wings.

It felt like she sat there for a long time before regaining some calmness. Breathing deeply, she gathered herself and got back up. She'd gained some scrapings, splinters, and definitely bruises, but adrenaline kept her from noticing anything yet. She looked up and saw the assortment of house-parts atop the tree in front of her. However, to get to them, she still had yet to climb the massive tree trunk. After a few moments trying to figure the best way of coming at it, Lenora finally just reached out and started climbing. Thankfully, the tree was rather knotted, so hand- and foot-holds weren't impossible to find; they just tended to put her in rather awkward positions. As she got further, she noticed she had started lilting to the edge, over the abyss again… She quickly climbed faster, towards the other direction, to avoid it.

After a while, once some more of her adrenaline had been burned off, she reached a branch where she could rest. Actually, it seemed more like a stump because it was so huge, but then again, the tree was bigger around than most houses she could think of… She looked up and saw that the house portions of the treehouse were closer than she thought. Only a little more effort, and she would be at an entrance! Well, maybe… she couldn't really tell what was just a random opening or what was considered an entryway on the complex. At any rate, feeling somewhat encouraged, she started climbing again. She got closer to the roof of one of the buildings…

Then, she heard the sounds of things being locked. Windows being closed, doors banging shut, and then latched against the outside. Lenora felt disheartened by the actions; she had hoped that they simply didn't know that she had actually followed them this far, gotten across the chasm surrounding them. This was proof that they knew and didn't welcome her. She sighed; but that was further evidence of her previous conviction – they were trying to protect her from themselves, whatever good that was supposed to do. She wasn't really sure what to do, now, though… She had already pretty much gotten up to the treehouse's main part, perhaps even past it… she didn't really remember what the entire thing had looked like from the ground. It was too long ago, and her energy was slipping. The rest of the night was catching up with her – her body couldn't go much farther before giving in to the sleep that was fast enveloping her senses as her discouragement brought her energy lower. But… how could she sleep up here? She wearily looked around. There, a metal smokestack or something was protruding from the roof not too far from where she was. The roof itself was far too steep for her to sit and relax on, but the metal thing would give her something to lean against.

Gripping the center peak of the roof for a counter-weight, Lenora cautiously made her way over to the large metal projection. Her footing slipped a number of times, but she managed to catch herself and survive the trip. As she threw herself onto the metal object, it felt intensely cold to her bare skin. Even though she had been running around in the chill air all night, the fact was that she had been running and thereby kept herself warm. This metallic shock woke her up enough to force her to position herself better, now leaning firmly between the roof and the object. As her body heat warmed the area she was on, she slowly relaxed and was soon drifting into unconsciousness. Before she entirely lost track of herself, she thought that the sky looked paler, like dawn was approaching. She was almost surprised, since she had only ever stayed up all night out of fear before, and then it was generally huddled up in her blankets and crying. This time, she had stayed up for action, anger, and no one had been there to comfort her when she cried. Well, except for that weird guy who said he owned Pariah… But these thoughts simply floated through her mind indifferently as she slipped from a sleep-heavy stupor into sleep itself. She had thought about enough things throughout that night – now was her time to forget and rest as she laid on the rooftop of the infamous trick-or-treaters' treehouse.

If she had known what was really going on underneath her, she probably wouldn't have slept for another week.

* * *

__While Lenora seems to have finally found a voice other than screaming in fear, it doesn't appear to have helped her much...

What _else_ could possibly happen to this girl?

Thoughts and comments are appreciated, and help spur me on! Thanks for sticking with me~


	19. Chapter 19

The trick-or-treaters woke up the following evening, for a moment unsure why all of their windows and doors were shut up tight. The only reason they could tell the time of day was the low shafts of dimming sunlight coming through a few of the not-so-entirely-overlapping boards in the treehouse. Of course, that could also mean it was sunrise, but who ever woke up _that_ early? And then, they remembered what had happened earlier.

"…You think she's still out there?" Barrel asked, voicing the question they all had in their minds.

"Don't be a ninny," Lock admonished him, "she probably wandered off at some point during the day. Once she saw that she couldn't get in, and that we wouldn't _let_ her in, she probably was all hopeless for a while, and then went back to town."

Shock wanted to agree with him,and most of her did. However, after seeing that determined streak in Lenora, she had some doubts. They hadn't expected her to _climb_ the treehouse, after all. "We'd better check, just to be sure." She said.

"Aw, come on, Shock!" Lock whined, "Lighten up!"

"All right!" Shock retaliated, "If you want to go off, and then return to find her wandering about _inside_, then _you_ can forget about it!"

"Well it's not like _we'd_ be at a loss if she happened to find the lair and not come back…" Lock grumbled.

Shock sighed, exasperated. "…Maybe not, but I think _somebody_ would notice!"

"Notice what?" came an ominous drone.

"None of your business!" Shock snapped automatically, faster than either Lock or Barrel could react. Mimipede sat in silence for a moment, glowering at them. Mimipede could sense that there was something bigger he wasn't hearing about, something that he probably ought to know or at least pass on to Oogie; but it was their funeral they were advocating by shoving him out. He wouldn't impede _that_.

He eventually shifted his gaze. "Why are all the windows locked?"

"How do you know they aren't _always_ locked?" Barrel mocked him. Lock whacked Barrel with his mask; they didn't like the bug, but they knew he wasn't entirely stupid.

"You didn't let someone _follow_ you here, did you?" Mimipede growled menacingly. That could cause… complications.

"No one's trying to get in, are they?" Lock remarked snidely.

Before he could continue, there were footsteps heard on the roof; loud ones. It sounded like someone slipping around and only finding just enough to hold on to. Shock let her forehead drop into her palm.

"You _imbeciles_!" Mimipede hissed, getting up in their faces. His fangs seemed to heavily suggest his desire to end the nuisance they obviously were to him. The three took a tense step back. He wasn't as scary as Jack could be, but he definitely had a higher chance of acting on his threats.

"I-it wasn't our fault!" Barrel spat out.

Before Mimipede could turn on him, Shock came to his defense. "Yeah! The girl just wouldn't take no for an answer and refused to get lost!"

Mimipede lost some of his ferocity. "Girl? What _girl_?"

"That stupid white chick," Lock scoffed, "…_Lenora_."

Oddly, Mimipede's countenance seemed to almost entirely extinguish the savagery quite apparent before. Only momentarily, though. "…And she's still up there?" He inquired vehemently.

"…What does it matter?" Shock asked suspiciously.

If Mimipede had hands, he would have smacked the miscreants with them. As it was, he held a few legs towards his head in annoyance and grimaced.

"…If anyone sees a _great white spot_ like her on the roof, it will be _quite obvious_ where she is! If she has been missed, then they will come _here_ for her; but only _if_ they see her." He explained pointedly.

The trick-or-treaters had actually been thinking rather the opposite: that citizens would _automatically_ come there to search for the girl, without any evidence; but now that Mimipede put it so plainly… There was still a chance to escape detection.

Mimipede had already unlatched a window that let out somewhat near a tree branch and was headed up to the roof by the time the trio had fully grasped that they needed to get the girl out of sight. They hadn't necessarily been slow, he'd just acted rather quickly. Mimipede smiled to himself as he wound up and over the roof; Lenora had actually come _there_! This was going better than had been planned…

He saw the girl seemingly clinging for her life onto the center ledge of the roof as darkness fell around them. She appeared to be only a few steps away from a metal protrusion, and she glanced longingly back at it. However, her present situation of clutching desperately to the roof kept her from taking action. She hadn't seen him yet, so he slid silently over to her, part of his body over the edge to act as a counterbalance. He saw her eyes were closed tightly, though he couldn't imagine why she would be scared of heights. He prepared himself to grab her should she try to escape.

"Hello." He said openly. She involuntarily gasped, and gripped the roof even harder, her contracting muscles bringing her forward little bit. Her head whipped around and she stared at him, eyes wide and fearful. Then, she fainted.

Although surprised by the reaction, Mimipede caught her. He had been expecting more of a struggle, but this worked too. His fangs elongated into a grin as he held the girl; a nasty, wicked grin. He might have laughed, but he knew he ought to hurry up and get her inside; that reasoning he'd mentioned hadn't _entirely_ been a bluff…

Mimipede entered the same way he had exited, and found the trick-or-treaters were arguing again amongst themselves. They shut up when he entered, though. He laid the girl down on the floor, carefully, and then looked at the trio. "I don't suppose I have to tell you to keep her _inside_?" He said sarcastically.

"Of _course_ not;" Shock enunciated over-sweetly, glaring at Lock; "We got it, right nitwit?"

Lock grumbled a response. Mimipede then began slinking off and opened another entryway.

"And where are _you_ going?" Lock shot after him.

Mimipede slowly turned and looked at them. "_I'm_ going off to… get some items. You brats get to deal with her." He paused, then added, "And _do_ try not to kill her; we might have to send her off someplace if someone managed to spot her during the _entirety_ of the day she was on the roof. It would be rather inconvenient if it _looked_ like she got killed here, don't you think?" He slipped off before they could retort.

The trio looked at each other before looking at the girl. They were pretty sure that Mimipede was up to something, but they couldn't figure out what. Oogie usually kept his plans pretty much to himself, and even more so now that they were getting him back together, albeit unwillingly. He might have been more open with them had a certain giant insect not found him first and buddied up to him; but that insect had. They were now more in the dark than ever, and it annoyed the heck out of them.

"…How about we give her to Oogie?" Lock suggested irately as they look at the comatose bird girl. "Then he can decide what to do with her."

Malicious grins formed on the kids' faces as they thought about how fun it would be to hear her screams. Unfortunately, as they continued looking at the girl's dirty face, they remembered her accusation just the previous night. How, despite their best efforts, she had tried to befriend them. How she had continued to try after being out rightly denied. How dumb she was for doing so.

"Well…" Barrel started, "We _could_ wait until she wakes up to send her down. She doesn't even know who Oogie is, right?" There was silence as they thought about it.

"She would probably scream more if she went in awake…" Shock mused, "_and_ unaware of what was down there." Plus, it would give them time to assess how 'idiotic' she really was; if they could get any use out of her before sending her down… She had to be good at _something_, right?

Another grin grew on Lock's face. "Pluuuus," he drew out, "this would be something that _Oogie_ doesn't even know about!" Finally, they could one-up that overgrown creepy-crawly!

Delight showed on the others' faces, realizing his intent; but Shock immediately turned hers into a frown. "How do we know that Mimipede won't rat on us?"

"Didn't you hear him?" Lock continued, and put up some fake fangs in imitation of his quote, "_'You brats get to deal with her_.' He considers her a _problem_, and ours. He wouldn't bring Oogie news he thought was _bad_."

"No, he wouldn't!" Shock and Barrel echoed mischievously together. They all cackled as the plan materialized in their heads.

Then, Lenora twitched. They all stopped mid-laugh, and watched her intently. She didn't move again, and Shock got closer, peering down at the girl's face to see if she was actually waking.

Lenora's eyes shot open, and she immediately jerked her head up. Unluckily, Shock was in her way, and their heads collided.

"OW!" Shock squawked as she grabbed her head and stumbled backwards, "That's my skull, you idiot!"

Lenora was back on the floor, clutching her own head. Barrel and Lock were laughing maniacally.

"Shut up!" Shock snapped as she swung out at them. Lock was closer and actually hit, which sent him sprawling into Barrel. The boys glared at Shock as they shoved off each other. They probably would have started a larger fight had Lenora not uttered a small sound that sounded somewhat like a whimper, drawing their attention.

Lenora was looking around her in awe. She'd been inside relatively few places, usually she just saw their outsides, but this treehouse had to be in its own unique category. There were shadows everywhere, but in awkward places as well as convenient ones (if she remembered the lessons right). There were stray traps and devices splayed everywhere, though most in one state or another of disrepair. There were precariously-positioned boards in the floor and stray nails, although they tended to be localized to a point of being genuinely hazardous. By Halloweentown standards, it was probably rather neglected, but still genuinely frightening.

Lenora may have become more determined that previous night, but that didn't make things any less scary. She took a few moments to compose herself, take in all the dark, troublesome surroundings, and tried to just focus on the people inside. She concentrated on her breathing a little bit, and then forced herself to look at the tirck-or-treaters with a smile, although a rather weak one. "H-hey. Thank you for b-bringing me in-"

"Aw, shut it!" Lock griped, "We didn't do _anything_ for ya!"

Lenora looked confused.

"We… captured you." Barrel intoned darkly.

"…Yes, we did." Shock added, a smirk growing on her face.

This, Lenora felt she could accept. As long as she was inside now, and with the trio, that was what mattered to her right now. She had come to terms with the fact that they kidnapped people. But, what she didn't get was, if _they_ had brought her in, who, or what, had been that… _thing_ on the roof? "B-but, what was… that… fanged…" She struggled for a word to convey the fear, and lacked a word descriptive enough to define the creature she'd seen.

"Oh, _him_?" Barrel said dejectedly; he'd been expecting more of a reaction from his previous statement about kidnapping. "That's Mimipede." He hadn't seen Lock and Shock's frantic hints to _not_ share that information, and he looked at them curiously as they then smacked their faces and growled in irritation.

"Well then," Lenora started, "what was-"

"He's nobody, alright?" Shock snapped at her before Lenora could try to say anything else. He's just a dumb bug that sneaks around here sometimes!"

Lenora shrunk back some, ruffling her feathers in an attempt to make herself less nervous. She reminded herself that being grouchy was just how the trick-or-treaters were.

"Anyway," Lock diverted, "since we captured you… _You_ have to do everything _we_ say." A wicked grin spread across his face as the last sentence was spoken. Lenora didn't like it much, but the eerie surroundings distracted her from noticing the grin spread to the other two.

"O-ok…" Lenora murmured, trying to think pleasant thoughts. Then, she found herself wondering, even if they did eventually agree to play with her, would they play nicely…?

* * *

Sally slept in rather late that day; by the time she was up, Jack was already gone. She had been surprised to find Lenora gone as well, but she assumed that the girl had finally gone to school of her own accord. She herself had some sewing she'd been meaning to get to that kept her busy most of the day. Once school was done, but Lenora hadn't returned, Sally reasoned that she was simply exploring, as the girl said she did occasionally. When Jack finally came back later into the evening, when the sun was slipping under the horizon, and Lenora still hasn't shown up, Sally began to worry.

"Jack," Sally fretted, "Where do you think she is?" Zero whined at her feet, sensing worry.

"Now Sally, this isn't the first time she's been out for a while." Jack reassured her tiredly. He had been rather busy with a smoke incident that had almost decimated the witches' shop. There had been no fire, thankfully, but a number of things had retained smoke damage that would require effort to fix, if it didn't out-rightly need to be replaced. The one sister he had talked to didn't have any legitimate information on who might have been responsible; her sisters had had to take some damaged supplies off to a bog for proper containment, and wouldn't be back until the next day. Now, he had come home to this.

"But Lenora's never liked to be out when it's dark, you know that." Sally continued.

Jack studied her for a moment, thinking. "Look," he finally said, "this may be unusual behavior, but think of the possibilities it could indicate; perhaps she's… made some friends, and is busy with them."

"Or maybe she's hiding someplace, waiting to come out and run home until the other kids leave her alone so she doesn't get scared." Sally worried.

Jack frowned at her pessimism. "Now dear, I think you're exaggerating a bit."

"Well, we know it wouldn't be the first time, now would it?" she countered.

A tense silence filled the room. The couple looked at each other. They looked at the door. They looked at the clock. They sat down, and waited. They watched as the last rays of light disappeared into shadows. They watched the shadows fade to darkness. And still, the door never opened; no flurry of feathers flew past, no familiar scream echoed through the air.

They got up.

"I'll look at the school." Sally said as they headed for the door.

"I'll check the town square." Jack said, "Come on, Zero." Zero barked as he followed. And thus the search began.

The night was a busy one. They searched the school, square, Town Hall, alleyways, questioned citizens as they looked. Most citizens seemed more interested in the supposed fire at the witches' place than the current search party, which frustrated Sally to no end. Jack was the calm one who would patiently explain that there had been no actual fire, that things were getting cleaned up just horribly, that their business would get back on its feet soon enough, and ask again if they had seen Lenora around. Usually, it would've been Sally being the rational thinker of the two, but the current situation had frazzled her nerves to the point of switching their positions.

Unfortunately, none of it seemed to do them any good. No one had seen the bird girl, screaming or otherwise. None of the places they checked had so much as a white feather left behind.

Eventually, morning came, but it brought with it only weariness for the couple. They ambled resignedly back home. They both needed rest, and a majority of the citizens were up during the night anyway – they had questioned more that night than they were likely to find walking about during the day.

"Listen, Sally," Jack said once they were back, "I'm going to just take a quick rest, and then I'll be going out again."

"Jack," Sally began, but he cut her off.

"Come now, dear; you know that I've pulled off many an all-nighter without too ill effects." She smiled. "Besides, I already made plans yesterday to be out of town today."

Her smile disappeared. "_Jack_, how can you-!"

"I know," he interrupted, "it's not the best timing. But I've already made the plans. You remember how I agreed to postpone my investigation of that human facility? Until after the run-through? I'm going to look into-"

"I can't believe you, Jack!" Sally exclaimed, "Our own daughter goes missing, and you just go on like nothing has changed!"

He tried to take her hands in his, but she shook them off and turned her back on him in a huff. He hesitated, then gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "Sally, you have to remember where she came from. The humans could still be looking for her. This facility could give us some answers." He moved his skull closer to her. "We've been looking here all night; both of us."

Her face softened from anger to depression. "I know…" She closed her eyes as she reached up and held his bony hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, dear; I'm just… so _worried_ about her…" Jack wished he could console her more, but she was right to be worried; that girl couldn't protect herself from a Jack-in-a-box, much less the rest of the citizens, not to mention that she was still from the human world…

He squeezed Sally's shoulders. "I promise to keep looking for her while I'm out." he reassured.

Sally turned around and embraced his skeletal frame. "Thank you." she sighed. She just wished she knew if she should hope he found Lenora out in the human world or not.

* * *

Well well well, things seem to be progressing... But are they going in the right direction?

Comments/reviews are greatly appreciated~


	20. Chapter 20

Bryan had been undergoing therapy for the past few months. Well, of a sort – after a few visits, the therapist had suggested that he was simply too stressed, and to take a vacation. Bryan had done such, and was now back to work at the Hospital. Everything that was still living, even in part, reacted as anticipated, and that which was dead didn't react at all; nothing seemed to be amiss. No bones moved without being attached to something – and he liked it that way. He put the incident with the skeleton in the closet behind him, although he was still a little bit wary around full skeletons. Nevertheless, he moved forward with his life.

Which was why he wasn't sure how to react when he saw the same suited skeleton from before sneaking around the facility.

Well, technically, they were still outside – but nevertheless, there the thing was, crawling around on the roof beside him like an oversized spider with a fashion sense. Bryan wasn't sure if he was the only one who noticed it, or if it was even there at all. Nobody else was looking at it. Maybe that was because there was a ruckus going on on the other side of the grounds, and they were supposed to be moving to a holding room for some questioning… He had only just found out about it; the grounds were quite extensive, and the administrative people on the other side liked to keep things hushed-up, even when something big occurred. But what he was _supposed_ to be doing at the moment disappeared from his mind the instant he spotted the skeleton.

Unfortunately, it spotted him too.

As soon as Bryan's eyes locked with the skeleton's sockets, Bryan shoved his face downward and started moving forward again; he didn't think about which direction, he just wanted to get away. He had been through this, skeletons didn't _move_ on their own, they didn't scale walls, they didn't-

His thoughts were cut short as he smacked into a wall. As he regained himself, Bryan had to look up to see where he was. All he saw was the wall and the skeleton's head. Fear gripped him, and Bryan froze. The skeleton looked down at him; geez it was a tall spindly thing! It still hadn't moved after a few moments, and Bryan had the idea that maybe he was imagining all of this. Perhaps the alarm had set off his stress again and he was seeing things. "This isn't real this isn't real this isn't real." Bryan muttered aloud, hoping that hearing himself would snap him out of it; "This is stress, this is my mind, this isn't real."

The skeleton moved a bony hand towards his jacket, and Bryan _felt_ the bones searching his pocket! The arm withdrew with his ID card in hand, and the skeleton grinned at him.

"Oh, I most certainly _am_ real." It said ominously.

Bryan's mind went into overload for a split second, screaming at him to do something but also trying to process the skeleton's words. Then, he slipped into blessed silence.

Jack chuckled as the same man he had scared on his last visit went unconscious. He had had luck with the guy not screaming the last time, he was lucky to have had the same result again. Lucky was probably the right word for the current situation – he had spotted someone alone enough to scare for their security card. Jack had forgotten about the top-tech security the facility had until he was at a door, and saw a card slot instead of a lock. He had then gone searching for some entry-point on the roof when he had spotted the man crossing the courtyard.

As he had told Sally, Jack had kept an eye out for Lenora before he got to the facility, but there was no sign of the bird girl, even at the Doors. Seeing that the Halloween door was still in splinters reminded him to get on the Mayor's case about it at the next opportunity, but at present he had bigger concerns. Like, who were these humans, what were they doing, and what lengths would they be willing to go to to find their escapee?

Jack used the man's card, which read "Bryan Ectholaer", and entered a different building than he had on his last trip, although it looked quite similar. The hallway was stark and bright, as he remembered the last one, but he noticed a small orange LED light turned on in an array beside the top of the doorway – actually beside every doorway he could see. He kept hidden in the shadow above his entryway as he studied it. The light was the second on a small series of colored lights – he thought it might be a rating system of some sort. Why hadn't he noticed it the last time he was in the area? He thought back, but didn't remember any lights of that color at all. Well, he could somewhat recall a similar panel by the doors, if he thought hard about it… but still he didn't remember any lights associated with it. Perhaps it was a system for only this building? He shook his head and decided to just keep going – he could think about it as he searched. He was simply here to explore some more, after all; although it would be a good plan to keep track of his path.

Before moving on, Jack decided to poke at one of the large ceiling tiles above him. It felt rather light, and lifted readily at his prod. Jack grinned – this was definitely easier than trying to keep clear of all the security cameras that no doubt lined the entryway halls. He could simply walk lightly among the insulation and wiring above, and move a tile when he wanted to check his bearings. Any cameras located up there would be easily fooled into seeing only shadows.

Jack continued his exploration above the ceiling. He checked below frequently, but these doors almost never had windows in them, unlike last time, and almost all were exclusively card-reader locks. That wasn't a problem for him now, but didn't like how many security cameras he always seemed to spot – having that many go out at once would definitely be suspicious. So he continued on and hoped that further inside there would be fewer cameras.

Fortunately, he was right; as he went deeper, the security lessened slightly. Eventually, he reached a door that he felt comfortable getting into, and he slipped inside with a green flash from the card reader.

As he entered, he caught a waft of decaying flesh. It dissipated rather quickly, though, like how the smell of trash lingered momentarily after it had been taken out. Slightly confused, he looked around and flipped one of the light switches. Only a single set of lights came on, not immediately near him, but enough to use. The room had a lot of large chutes, with letters printed over top of their fronts. They said "Elimination Process 8", "Elimination Process 11", "Elimination Process 5", etc. They had a few dark stains spattered occasionally on them. Beside the numbers, Jack noticed there were also some sticky notes, scrawled with things like "Furnace", "Bury", "Bacteria", "Freeze." As he turned, Jack saw a large cabinet. Opening the lock and looking inside, he found many different boxes of gloves, aprons, tongs, bags, hatchets, respirators, some things that looked a mix between a spear and an icepick, a few hacksaws…

Jack inferred that this must be a room where they disposed of experiments. Well, at least some of them – the room didn't appear big enough to accommodate the number of things he expected of a facility this large. He looked at the floor briefly, and noticed a slight slant to the ground with a drain on one end of the smooth surface. That explained why he didn't see much blood anywhere – they must have had a hose somewhere to clean up after work. Which made sense, if they didn't want their staff tracking blood everywhere. As he shut the cabinet, Jack noticed a large bin labeled "Salvageable – To Be Cleaned". Curious, he opened it.

The smell of rotting flesh waved over him once again, but this time much stronger. The shadows made it hard to distinguish what exactly was inside of the bin, but the better question might have been where one thing ended and another started. After a moment of study, Jack realized it was a menagerie of body parts inside: pieces with quite a bit of flesh on them still, and some with most of it hacked off except for bits around joints. There were also what seemed to be feathers inside as well – bloodied and mangled, perhaps, but feathers nonetheless. Those must have escaped the haphazard initial break-off the people who worked in here seemed to attempt to do. Jack even thought he saw a large bat-like wing in the depths…

Seeing the wings and feathers, though, reminded him of the other task he was working on – looking for Lenora. For a split second, he wondered if perhaps she'd been taken here, and felt a sharp pang of anxiety. But his mind quickly supplied the fact that she was only one of who knew how many similar experiments, and while the people here must be looking for her they were very unlikely to dispose of her in such a way upon finding her again. He glanced worriedly at the chutes, which was where they were more likely to… get rid of her, if they were inclined to do so. But no, continuing his analysis, he recognized the scientists here would probably study her and try to isolate what made her able to escape… though who knew what that would entail. The anxiety lessened, but concern now gnawed at his bones as he realized what these humans finding Lenora really meant. He hadn't quite expected the alarm that had so suddenly attacked him, but then again, he had never fully connected the experiments here with the scared little girl he saw so often at home. He now realized why Lenora was so frightened of Dr. Finklestein's laboratory… The two places bore striking resemblances. Although, the Dr. wasn't generally so wasteful…

He closed the lid. With the amount of things he saw in there, Jack was fairly sure that there was a large number of experiments that were brought in and disposed of. What was considered salvageable or not, he wasn't sure, but in either case it would take some time to amass that sizable of a collection of parts, considering the majority of organic mass probably went into the 'elimination' chutes. Which made him wonder, why hadn't these been cleaned yet? The bin was marked to be so; if they truly needed them, there ought to be a team or mechanism ready to take out the load once it was full, which it certainly looked to be. Body parts, especially with flesh still intact, were not something to leave lying around and get to eventually, if one wanted to have much left to work with. Which also brought up the question, what were they being salvaged for? If they wanted to have any use for the limbs, they ought to be looked to quickly. Otherwise, this was just a large container for disease and carnage, which considering they had living staff, probably wasn't an ideal situation…

Which reminded him – he ought to be on the lookout for anybody passing by, or at least listening for anyone who could possibly come in. Then, Jack realized he hadn't heard any footsteps while he had been in the building; at all. His last visit, although it had been a different building, he had definitely heard more people milling about. Here, even while he had been stalking the halls, he had neither seen nor heard anyone. While, if he had been back in Halloweentown, this would likely have been a sign of practicing spooks doing well, in the human world, it had more ominous indications. Jack turned the light back out and exited the room, making sure to crawl back up above the ceiling after he was in the hall again. There had been no ceiling tiles in the elimination room – things were kept smooth in order to be easier to clean, he suspected. The added security benefit probably didn't hurt.

Jack now strode around and lifted ceiling tiles wherever he went, in a hallway or room. That way, he could continue hiding among the rafters and still glimpse inside. He was somewhat annoyed that he hadn't thought of it earlier, actually, but it wouldn't have helped him with that first room anyway. Around the elimination room, all he saw were what looked like simple operating rooms and a few conference-looking rooms. The cabinets always had locks, but he saw no point in investigating what he felt he probably already knew about. These rooms were most likely for examining and discussing what was found among the corpses, Jack inferred. But, especially since no one was 'discussing' at the moment, he had nothing to discover there. As his search continued, Jack concluded that the entire building was composed of similar rooms to what he had already found – and he had been right about there being more than one elimination room. The card had opened those doors as well. But what he needed was information, files, and while there were computers in a few of the rooms, the building seemed deserted; performing a search would most definitely raise alarm somewhere, probably immediately. Not to mention that Jack wasn't exactly the best when it came to hacking computers speedily – sure, he could find a way to make things work out, especially with the ID card, but he doubted he could perform a search quickly enough to be of much use.

Jack finally decided that he was going to get nowhere further in this building, and was heading back to the entrance he came from. Well, he believed he was going the right direction… En route, though, a black robe materialized in the rafters about 10 feet away from him. Jack froze – it was dark above the ceiling, but he would have noticed if another figure had been sneaking about with him earlier. He was the Pumpkin King, after all – that didn't come if you were easily caught by surprise. The figure was facing away from him, hood up, and it was holding something long and wooden… the other end was in front of the figure, so Jack couldn't quite tell what it was. He cautiously approached. Jack could almost always get right next to anything before it realized he was there, and it was a skill he used often. But the figure must have been listening very intently, because Jack was still about 3 feet from it when it whirled on him, and Jack saw a scythe raised and ready to strike out. Quick as a shadow, Jack raised his arms in defense, one hand shooting out to still the weapon. Both of them stopped mid-motion, though, as they recognized each other.

"Kismet?" Jack asked.

"Jack!" Kismet exclaimed, obviously surprised, "…What are you doing here?"

"I'm… investigating." Jack said cautiously, lowering his hands. He remembered that Kismet hadn't been too happy with his last visit, but he certainly hadn't been this on-edge.

The quick glances around that Kismet took and his tight grip on his scythe only justified Jack's suspicions. "You have not chosen a good time to do so, I am afraid…"

"Why, what's going on?" Jack asked.

"Nothing that need concern you." Kismet replied, still keeping a wary eye out.

Jack frowned; if something were putting the usually solemn reaper off, then something of consequence was definitely going on. But why didn't he want to involve Jack? "I beg to differ," Jack started.

"There is a security situation going on, Jack," Kismet interrupted before Jack could go any further, "…If you are found things will become very… complicated. You know that."

Jack had been careful, and was quite sure he hadn't been the cause behind the alarm; but while alarms _might_ have sounded somewhere, that was unlikely to upset the reaper so much. Now that he thought about it, the orange lights by the doors were probably an alarm rating system; but they had been on when he had entered the building. Jack figured that something else must be going on. "How do you know I didn't set the alarm off?" Jack inquired carefully. He _was_ assuming that he hadn't, of course; but Jack wanted to know what Kismet was thinking.

"Because the alarm has been going longer than you have been on the premises." Kismet replied absently. "Admittedly, I don't know exactly how long you have been here, but it should have been going longer. Although I suppose…" Then Kismet froze, realizing his slip. "I mean – I know because it started on the other side of – That is… I don't–" Flustered, which was a feeling he wasn't used to, Kismet scowled and glared up at the roof. Jack only grinned at him, although the triumph was short-lived. Jack did recognize the gravity of the situation.

"What is going on, Kismet?" Jack asked seriously.

Kismet looked like he was about to answer, although reluctantly, when his head swiveled to the side, and before Jack knew it Kismet had grabbed him and pushed them both through a portal. The next thing Jack saw was more rafters, but they must have been in a different building, for the distance to the roof was much higher than just a moment ago. Kismet must have gotten stronger since the last time, because he seemed to have no problems getting all of Jack through along with him. Jack turned confusedly to the reaper.

"What is going on here?" Jack asked again, genuinely searching for answers.

Kismet, after looking around them again, sighed wearily. "There are things that should not be tampered with, Jack," he finally said, "whether by humans or others."

Images of the pile of abandoned body parts flashed in Jack's mind. Jack was perplexed. Halloweentown had seen much worse than that – the main appalling thing was how crudely the humans were tackling the experiments. Was Kismet referring to that? His voice sounded like it was addressing a bigger problem, though… But what else was there?

Thinking of problems temporarily brought his mind back to Sally – and Lenora. Jack frowned; there was such possibility here for further insight into the facility! Perhaps he could bring up Lenora at some point… The reaper ought to know at least something about the girl's whereabouts if she had returned, right?

"Listen, Jack," Kismet continued in a low tone, unaware of the skeleton's inner dilemma, "I can open a portal for you that will take you back to the Hinterlands of Halloweentown. Please, take it and do not return."

"Now wait a moment," Jack interjected, "I came here to look for answers. I'm not leaving until I find some."

Kismet it looked like he was about to retort, when he noticed something in Jack's jacket. "What do you have…" Jack, realizing what the reaper was looking at, tried straightening his jacket and subtly pushing the card back out of sight; but it didn't work. "Where did you get this!" Kismet hissed, snatching the ID card away. After a second, he stuffed it into his robes. "It doesn't matter," he continued, "it has to be left here for evidence, or else you will be found out. It's a good thing you do not have fingerprints…" Looking around once more, Kismet muttered quickly, "I am going to go leave it in the same building we were just in. Do not go anywhere until I return." The reaper then disappeared through another portal.

Jack sighed to himself – what could Kismet be hiding? Why? Did it have anything to do with Lenora? And where could that girl have gone to? He had come here looking for answers, but all he kept finding were more questions.

Mentally, Jack started going through what information he had collected so far. The facility had many buildings, and appeared to cover a large area. There were experiments going on concerning the integration of bird wings and humans, perhaps bat wings as well, if that was really what he had seen in the parts bin earlier. The security was high notch, so it was likely that the majority of humans were not aware of the goings on here… And one of their experiments had escaped a number of months ago. It was impossible that they were not out looking for her, with the paranoia all humans seemed to have. And yet… No one had stumbled upon the holiday Doors? He was grateful for such, true; but he also knew that the possibility of it happening at random was slim to none. Now, Kismet was acting quite strangely, and insisting that Jack not get involved any further. Perhaps… Did the reaper have anything to do with this? With Lenora?

As suspicion grew in Jack's mind, suddenly Kismet was back. He grabbed Jack's arm and they went through another portal, this time ending up on the roof of another building. This one must have been farther in on the grounds, because all Jack could see were rooftops, and a thin line of trees within the distance. That was all he had time to ascertain, though, for in another moment they were transported again, this time on a low roof in between buildings. A moments' pause there, then another scene change and they were in another building's rafters again.

Jack shook off the reaper's bony grip, confusion and suspicion overcoming his fascination with the sights. "Kismet, why are we jumping around so quickly?" Jack questioned accusingly, "What kind of problem is there that I can't be of help? What is disturbing you so much?"

Kismet had a distressed look on his face, as if pleading with Jack to not make him answer. Eventually, he looked as if he were about to relent and answer anyway, when another dark robe appeared a number of yards away, much larger than Kismet's. Both he and Jack watched as the figure raised itself to at least Jack's height, long white hair falling from under its hooded face. A malicious grin filled with sharp teeth stared hungrily at them.

"Him." Kismet whispered quickly to Jack.

In an instant, Kismet dropped his human visage, simply a skeleton in a robe now. "This," Kismet began, indicating to Jack, "is a construct of mine. Actually, I could be the construct – either way, one of us is not real. You decide which you want to spend your effort on chasing down."

"Really?" The figure growled, "Because I thought that replicas were supposed to be convincing."

"Whoever said I was making a replica?" Kismet replied evenly.

"Well, whatever the case is," it continued, "that's far too outlandish for your style. Did you decide to bring a friend along? Didn't tell him about the dangerous beasts out here, did you?"

Kismet's grip tightened on his scythe. Jack looked back and forth between the two figures, trying to gauge the danger level. From Kismet's attitude, Jack guessed quite dangerous. But perhaps things wouldn't be so problematic if the other one knew with whom he was dealing with…

"I am Jack," Jack started, stepping forward and deepening his voice slightly, "The Pumpkin King." Out of the corner of his eye socket, he saw Kismet grimace.

"Oooh," the figure responded, "sounds tasty."

Kismet then let his human appearance come up again and took a step forward, placing an arm in front of Jack. "Let him be, Xellos! He is not a part of this, and neither is he a reaper."

"Well then, he certainly has no business here." Xellos responded, "I might as well take care of him, too." With that, he lunged towards them.

Kismet and Jack jumped to either side, dodging the attack. "Run!" Kismet yelled at Jack. Jack didn't have time to formulate a reply, for Xellos was already back up and staring at him with a grin. Obviously, scare tactics were not going to work; not unless he could gain an element of surprise, which he did not have at the moment. So, Jack bounded away between boards and things, his thin frame aiding his flight. Unfortunately, the obstacles did not seem to bother Xellos; in fact, he seemed to go right through them. Momentarily, Kismet was by Jack's side, and as Jack leaped Kismet created a quick portal that they both went through, closing it before Xellos reached it. Jack saw his feet approaching a rooftop somewhere when another portal brought them right above the ground beside a building. Jack stumbled a bit on his landing, but maintained his footing enough to stand. Kismet was still beside him, and from the fact that they were no longer porting anywhere, Jack assumed they were safe for the moment.

"Who is he?" Jack asked, bewildered.

"Come now, Jack;" Kismet retorted, "As messengers of death, did you not think we had enemies?"

Jack leaned against the building's outer wall. "…This is what you didn't want me finding out about, isn't it?" Jack commented, "This Xellos fellow."

Kismet didn't argue. He only began walking quickly down the wall's length. Jack followed.

"I noticed back there that he seemed willing to talk." Jack continued, "Perhaps if we could explain to him –"

"What?" Kismet interjected, "That you are the king of a holiday world, a world of frights? Xellos does not care, Jack; he is a being that feeds on emotions, auras; and occasionally bones…"

Worry made itself apparent on Jack's face; if this Xellos found out about Halloweentown, and fed on emotions…

As if reading his mind, Kismet actually glanced back gave a wry smile. "You needn't worry about Halloweentown, Jack – Xellos is one of a race called pathos' seekers. They prefer feeding on more positive emotions than fear." He looked around momentarily, then signaled Jack to follow him as he turned a corner. Jack did so.

"If that's the case," Jack replied, "why is he hanging around here? I have seen nothing that would induce much positivity in humans."

"… I will admit," Kismet said after a moment, "I have wondered the same thing. However, the fact is, Xellos _is_ here, and appears to be sticking around. He makes my job rather difficult at times…"

"… How long has he been here?" Jack asked. Kismet had been part of the area for quite a while – if his demeanor about Xellos said anything, it was that the… pathos' seeker was a relatively new edition. Either that, something _else_ was going on to set the reaper on edge.… Although Jack couldn't imagine what.

Kismet froze and held up a hand, listening. After a few seconds, he lowered it and walked over to a different building. Jack followed. "You say you came here looking for answers?" Kismet inquired conversationally, "What questions did you have in mind?"

Again, Jack was reminded of Lenora. Albeit, there was much more information tantalizingly within reach… But he had a feeling that Kismet wanted to avoid the subject of Xellos and the purpose of the facility. It was very possible the reaper didn't even know its purpose; and while Jack would have enjoyed to probe further, he knew he ought to ask about the girl while he still could. "Is she here?"

Kismet paused. "Whom are you speaking of?"

"Lenora – the young bird girl Sally and I adopted. She came from this facility; you must have some idea –"

"My duty is to keep track of the dead, Jack, not the living." Kismet interrupted, "I am aware that she has origins with this place, but I do not know if she has returned." Kismet took another look around before looking back at Jack. "I need to determine the whereabouts of someone – I will return shortly." With those words, he disappeared into another portal and left Jack on his own.

Jack couldn't decide if Kismet was _trying_ to make him suspicious, or if it was just the situation getting on Jack's nerves. The reaper was usually rather vague, but Jack had always assumed it was because he had nothing of consequence to talk about. Even now that Jack had discovered about Xellos, he still felt like Kismet was holding something back. Jack looked at the building he was currently beside, and wondered if he could still get in without any cards. Regardless of the situation, he still had come no closer to locating Lenora. Or finding out if the humans had.

He was just starting to look for doorways when he felt a bony hand on his arm. "Please, Jack," Kismet said, "I can help you escape right now; I cannot say the situation will remain the same for long."

Jack looked at Kismet's sincere face. He didn't want to relent, but he realized that going around on his own he was likely to encounter Xellos again. He knew that Kismet hadn't dared try to attack earlier; they had just run out of reach of the pathos' seeker. Jack couldn't create portals, though; which would make escaping on his own much more problematic. Of course, Jack didn't know of anything stating that Kismet couldn't help Jack's search – but he knew that the chances of that happening were unlikely. Jack sighed, deciding the best option for the moment was to yield. "What about you?"

"I can take care of myself, Jack." Kismet reassured him, "This is not the first time I have handled similar situations." Kismet opened a portal. "Here is the way back to town – please, hurry and take it before Xellos returns."

"Wait," Jack started, "Where is he now?"

"My sister is distracting him."

"You have a sister?" Jack queried bewilderedly.

"… Please, just go." Kismet urged.

Jack started forward, but then hesitated. Could he get any more information from him…?

Kismet sighed. "…I can tell you that I have not seen her soul waiting to pass on."

Realizing he was talking about Lenora, Jack's face softened. "Thank you." He said, "… If you find out anything about her, please let me know." Not able to read anything more on the reaper's face, Jack strode through the portal and found himself in the Hinterlands near town. He looked back, but the portal was gone.

* * *

"Did I miss him?" Cessation asked urgently as she tumbled through a portal beside Kismet.

"Yes." Kismet replied evenly. He didn't need to turn to see her display of disappointment.

"Dang it!" She exclaimed heartily, swinging her fists. "I was so close!"

"Where is Xellos?" Kismet asked quickly, realizing that if she was here, Xellos shouldn't be far behind.

Cessation waved her hand negligently. "Oh, chasing a replica of me. I wasn't going to miss a chance at seeing the Pumpkin King!"

Kismet relaxed a little and gave a small smirk at the irony. "Really? For how long?"

Cessation sighed. "Probably a little while yet. But still, I was _so_ _close_!"

Kismet patted her shoulder. "You know it's for the best that Jack not get caught up in all this. Unfortunately, Xellos did see him…"

Cessation grinned. "Did he scare the big 'ol wolf out of his cloak?"

"No. I don't think Jack's official title helped matters…" Kismet was not looking forward to his next talk with the Pumpkin King.

Cessation scowled. "What? How could he not tremble in fear-"

"Cessation..." he interrupted, "Jack wasn't _trying_ to scare him. He wanted to try talking to Xellos."

Cessation snorted. "Yeah; you know how well _that_ goes. …But I bet that if Jack _had_ tried scaring him, Xellos would have thought twice about going after him!"

Kismet shook his head and couldn't help but smile some. Ever the optimist, despite her occupation. "Come;" he said, "we ought to get back to what we are supposed to be doing."

* * *

Thank you for reading~! Strange things are happening, aren't they? And Jack is still no closer to finding Lenora!

Comments are appreciated greatly~


	21. Chapter 21

Sally paced anxiously. "I haven't even been a mother for a year, and I already manage to lose my child?" She accused herself despairingly.

"Now Sally," Jack interrupted, "you know that's not true. I know it's hard to admit, but Lenora's the one who wandered off-"

"No! She wouldn't do that!" She paused. "…Ok, so she's done it before, but that was just because she was scared! She wouldn't leave the house on her own _at night_ if she had a choice in the matter. Maybe some of the other kids put her up to it?"

Jack sighed. "You know that we have talked to the parents, and even some of the children. Not all of them seemed exceedingly upset, albeit, but all seemed genuinely surprised. Maybe… Lenora will return on her own." Jack tried to console her, "As you mentioned, this isn't the first time she's disappeared, after all."

Sally looked at him worriedly. They both remembered the last time Lenora had gone missing – and she hadn't returned alone.

"Now, let's not make assumptions;" Jack began.

"Jack, you know what those three are capable of!" Sally urged.

"I know, dear," Jack replied, "but without Oogie around, they're just a group of kids. They have no reason for wanting to take Lenora. If they wanted to scare her, that would be easy enough to do out in the streets. Without a leader, they have no ulterior motive for kidnapping."

"You just said they were kids," Sally argued, "they don't _need_ an ulterior motive."

Jack remained silent for a moment, contemplating the possibilities in his mind. Sally looked at him hopefully. Then, he shook his head, as much to himself as to Sally. "I just can't see why they would do it, what they would gain from it." He finally stated, "Sure, they enjoy scaring, but that's not their only activity, nor do they seem to relish in it as much as the town's kids. If that were the case, they wouldn't be so problematic… No, they prefer pranking. _If_ they did do anything, then they probably would've tricked her and left her alone someplace…" Sally's face showed alarm, and Jack was quick to add "That is _if_ they did anything. I'm still of the opinion they haven't had anything to do with her since that incident before. Or if they have, nothing to this extent. …Probably."

There was tense silence for a few seconds.

"… I'll ask a search party to look around in the woods." He finally conceded.

"Aren't you going to go with them?" Sally demanded.

"I'm only sending them as a precaution." Jack replied, "As I said, I don't think that those three would have much to do with Lenora. Now," he said definitively, "we are going to go about this logically and methodically. Those speedy questionnaires we did around town the other night were not very thorough. Let's take another look at what the citizens have to say, now that the fright about the witches' shop has been addressed, and I am sure more information will come to light."

It was obvious that this option was not the one Sally had been hoping for, but it also seemed apparent that Jack had decided upon a course of action and was going to stick to it. She sighed, then nodded, hoping that allowing him to go through with his plan would quicken the time to actually making progress in their search. Perhaps he was right, as well – hopefully they would be finding out soon.

* * *

There was a loud crash somewhere in the treehouse, accompanied by a short scream.

"…It's your turn, Lock." Shock muttered.

"Says who?" Lock shot back from his sprawled position on the couch.

"Says us!" Barrel retorted, "Remember? You lost at Rock Paper Scissors!"

"I never said I'd go!" Lock disputed.

"Yeah?" Shock countered, "Well too bad; it's your fault you lost!"

"It is not!" Lock snapped, "Barrel was cheating!"

"Was not!" Barrel argued, getting up from his place on the floor.

"You were too!" Lock challenged, also getting up from the couch.

Shock rolled her eyes and sighed as the boys attacked each other. Knowing that the dispute wasn't likely to end soon, she headed off to see what Lenora had hit or dropped this time.

It had been about a week since the bird girl had started living with the trick-or-treaters. It had been fun for the trio at first – they ordered her around and made her do random things simply because they could. They had verbally listed off a number of things for her to do, such as clean, fix up their weapons, make sure their traps worked; and the best part was that Lenora seemed earnest in wanting to do it all. They were so looking forward to watching her either screw it up, or simply do the things they didn't want to.

Usually it ended up being the first option, but that wasn't as fun as they had anticipated. The girl obviously had almost no idea what she was doing in most of the situations they gave her. She said that she had watched Sally do a few things, but that didn't seem to make her any better at them. The areas Lenora 'cleaned' usually just ended up wet, along with herself. They had learned quickly not to let her cook alone – especially since Barrel had tried to convince her candy made everything better. They had made her move what minimal furniture they had, or at least had tried – Lenora wasn't really all that strong. They smugly watched her move small things in circles, but ended up frustratingly pushing her aside when she failed to move things like the couch very easily. They mischievously watched her while she nervously cleaned their weapons, but she often dropped them, even without their startling her. Somehow, the resultant scattering of weapons usually did not seriously hurt Lenora or the trio, but it came close a few times. Snapping at her only made her drop more things, so they learned to just keep Lenora out of sight while she handled the weapons. They tried to get her to fix a trap once, but after they forced her to finally start an attempt after staring the thing down for at least half an hour, even they had narrowly escaped getting hit from the resultant explosion of sharp pieces, chains, and small, pointy objects.

Now, while it had been funny for the first while, it soon grew tiring to hear the girl's scream, or crying, following a cacophony of falling metal or similar crashes. Not only that, but it was getting trickier to keep Oogie in the dark; he was starting to wonder about the 'ghosts' upstairs, and the infestation of bigger 'rats'. Honestly, the trick-or-treaters weren't sure what the Boogie Man would do when he heard of their uninvited guest, and they were trying to figure out a clever way of telling him, before he investigated himself.

Shock turned a corner to find Lenora facing away on her knees on the floor, a handful of knives sprawled out along with her. Her shoulders lifted in sporadic bursts and she coughed while slowly gathering them up, obviously trying to hold in tears. One bandaged hand was searching along the floor for the knives, as if she wasn't really looking at what she was doing. Her eyes were probably too blurry to see clearly. Shock gave an exasperated sigh, which was in turn followed by the clattering of a few knives as Lenora dropped them again in surprise.

"I-I'm sorry," Lenora mumbled, still facing away, "I didn't mean to-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know;" Shock cut her off, "Just pick them back up without cutting your hand off!"

"Y-yes, I'm trying…" Lenora murmured, hand searching along the floor again.

Shock watched for a second, then stalked over and began helping, annoyed with how agonizingly long it was taking her to just pick up a few knives. "All you gotta do is just see the knife and pick it up-" Shock glared at her and was going to go on, but she saw that the bird girl had her eyes closed. Shock paused. "…_What_ are you _doing_?"

"Umm… picking up… knives..." Lenora mumbled.

Shock grabbed Lenora's face with the hand that didn't have any knives in it. "Like _this?_!" she demanded, "What are you closing your eyes for? You're practically _asking_ to get stabbed!"

Slowly, Lenora opened her eyes some. All she could see at first was Shock's irritated expression, which wasn't pleasant, but she had seen it enough lately to handle it. Then her eyes expanded their view, and she caught sight of the knife in Shock's hand. She quickly closed her eyes again.

Shock rolled her eyes and shoved Lenora's face away from her, making Lenora fall a little to the side. "Fine, why should I care?" Shock growled as she prepared to toss the knife in her hand away somewhere. Then Shock saw one of Lenora's legs, which had extended for balance after Shock had shoved her. The bird girl already had a number of bandages on her body, not to mention scabbed scratches left to their own, but a new slice was bleeding quite readily on the front of her calf. Shock rolled her eyes again, dropped the knife, stomped over, and grabbed Lenora's arm.

Lenora dropped a few more knives in surprise, for her eyes were still closed. "S-sorry-"

"Leave 'em!" Shock snapped before she hauled Lenora up onto her feet. Lenora obediently dropped the remaining knives, although dangerously close to both of their feet. Simply giving another irate sigh, Shock proceeded to drag Lenora behind the knives and off down a hallway. They soon reached a small closet door, which had a box beside it. Shock pushed Lenora onto it, and then opened the closet door. Lenora had opened her eyes again by this time, and sat on the box a bit dejectedly.

"…I've gotten better at it." Lenora eventually said.

"What, tripping with your eyes closed?" Shock snorted from the closet.

"No;" Lenora said, a bit defensively, "…doing things with knives."

"Oh, so this is an improvement?" Shock asked snidely as she emerged from the closet with handful of surprisingly-clean bandage wrappings. The quality of medical care available in the treehouse had greatly improved since Lenora's arrival, mainly because it was now used rather frequently. The trio hadn't been too enthusiastic to work with it at first, but when Lenora had accidentally gotten a scorpion sting and Shock had had to hope that her antidote kit wasn't out of date, such supplies had been updated rather quickly. They didn't want to have her need real medical attention in town, after all…

"Yes." Lenora responded assertively, "I used to not be able to even hold them before."

"Put your bandage on." Shock ordered as she thrust the ensemble into Lenora's hands, then watched as the girl attempted to do as she was told. Shock knew that Lenora wasn't a fan of knives; that had been apparent from the first time they'd gone into the armory. Of course, they had all assumed that it was just the pure scariness of their weaponry in general that held her in fear, but the girl had avoided the knife section the longest. Lock had once slipped a knife near Lenora's head before she woke up, and they all had laughed at her panic when she saw it; until she had smacked one of them with her wings by accident. That had started a tussle in which everyone was involved. Afterwards, all had bruises, but Lenora still avoided the knife. Shock thought that had just been that one event, though, not a long-standing thing. Although, now she somewhat remembered a mention about a knife some other time when Lenora had been scared… When she had run into them in the woods. That first time, on the night of the opening scream… They never had gotten the full story from her.

Lenora was holding the rest of the bundle of bandages out, although it was still attached to the bandage she had created. She looked like she was trying to figure out how to detach the extra when Shock snatched it from her. Briefly glancing at the bird girl's work, Shock tightened the bandage, then tore it at the lose end. "Thanks…" Lenora said as she finished up, and Shock put the rest of it back in the closet.

"So…" Shock began, "What's your deal with knives? They're just sharp objects that are really quite useful. You can cut, stab, slice, threaten, throw…" she listed, smirking as she thought of all the possibilities.

"I-" Lenora started, interrupting loudly, then continued softer, "…I know." There was silence for a little while.

Shock came back out and raised an eyebrow at her. "Geez, I'm not asking for your life's story here, I'm just wondering."

"W-well…" Lenora began slowly, "…it kind-of has to do with my life…"

"No kidding." Shock remarked sarcastically.

"…before I came to Halloweentown." Lenora continued, ignoring the comment.

Shock perked up – this was something new. No one knew where the girl had come from, although most assumed the human world. How exactly that was possible, Shock didn't know or particularly care, but she was interested in the story at least.

"…Where I was… was awful." Lenra said, "And not like Halloween awful. It was scary, and the people were never nice, and…" A shiver went through her, ruffling her feathers.

"What do you mean?" Shock asked, wondering what the big deal was. Scary was fun, for most everyone she knew, and while the people of Halloweentown generally weren't usually _mean_, they also weren't exactly nice to the trick-or-treaters.

"…They had things there;" Lenora tried to explain, "Always things around to hurt you or hold you down."

"…Like knives?" Shock probed.

"Y-yes…" Lenora replied, "…And other things."

"Like what?" Shock continued curiously.

"Just… a lot of things." Lenora said with effort, "And they didn't just wave them around and threaten you; they used them. A lot."

"Well, sounds like you oughtta stay on their good side." Shock commented.

"There was none!" Lenora exclaimed, surprising Shock, "They had no good side, there was just the test-side and the study-side! When they test you, they used everything on you! When they study you, you just hope that you didn't fail the tests!"

Taken aback by Lenora's sudden outburst, Shock let silence sit for a few moments. But eventually, curiosity overcame her surprise. "…What happened if you failed?"

"They took you away," Lenora answered hollowly, "and you never came back."

Shock did not have a comeback ready for that. Heck, she wasn't even sure how to respond to that. It unnerved her, those words, and the empty look Lenora had as she'd said them. It was as if the girl had resigned herself to a fate she knew she couldn't change, and couldn't avoid, no matter how much she wanted to. Shock immediately closed the closet door, purposefully shaking them both out of the moment.

"…Anyway," Lenora said, the usual timidity back in her voice, "t-that's why I don't really like knives…"

"Well, at least you're making progress." Shock muttered, wanting to change the mood.

Lenora smiled a little. "Yeah."

"But still, _don't_ go around with your eyes closed, especially around here! That's just stupid!" Shock rebuked.

Lenora's smile grew a little. "Ok." She continued sitting for a moment, then threw her arms around Shock in a hug.

More than a little surprised, Shock just stood there for a second. Then she started squirming a little. "H-hey! What have I said abut hugging!" Lenora loosened her hold, and Shock shrugged her off like a blanket which was too warm. Lenora still had a smile, though. "And wipe that stupid grin off your face!" Shock said, pushing the bird girl off the box.

Lenora surprisingly caught herself on her better leg, though, and didn't end up all the way on the floor. She was looking down at the floor again, though, and she now looked at the trail of blood she'd left on their way over. "…I'm going to have to clean that, huh?"

"Darn right you are." Shock asserted. She looked for a moment at Lenora, as if contemplating something. "….You go and get the scrubbing stuff – I'll put the knives away."

Lenora's face lit up, but before she could for a smile, Shock made some noises to hold her off. "Na-ah-eh! This is _just_ to keep you from slicing yourself up even more today, ok? You bleed any more, and you probably won't have anything left. This is _not_ some pathetic attempt to pity you."

Lenora gave a warm smile, though she tried to keep it subdued. "Ok. Thank you, Shock." She then went off to get some water.

"And try not to soak your bandages off, huh?" Shock shot after her before going off herself.

Lenora couldn't help but let her smile overtake her face again as she left Shock's sight. She had actually talked about… before, and she hadn't cried! She didn't say too much specific, but still! And Shock hadn't laughed at her, like she thought might happen.

She was so wrapped up in her moment, Lenora almost didn't hear the caw as she passed a window. She paused, then backed up and slowly opened the window. She wasn't allowed outside, that was one of the first rules the trick-or-treaters had told her, because she was their 'prisoner', but they at least let her open the windows now. She looked out now and saw a raven on one of the treehouse's small branches. It had 4 red eyes, and was staring at her. That was that weird guy's pet… Lenora looked around. He was nowhere to be seen, thankfully. Lenora relaxed some, and looked fondly at the bird. She didn't like his master, but the bird himself didn't seem that bad. After thinking for a moment, she remembered the bird's name was Pariah. Lenora extended her hand half-hopefully. "…Pariah?" She called softly.

The bird looked up at her word. Lenora waited for a while, watching for any sign that he might fly over to her. After a little bit, and still no motion from Pariah, Lenora let her hand fall back to her side and sighed. She wasn't sure if she should be relieved that he didn't seem too interested or not. "…I'll leave the window open for you." Lenora said to Pariah. She then turned and started heading for the washing materials again.

Pariah watched the girl leave the window, and waited for a few moments. Then, the bird flapped over to the open sill. He cawed again, and saw Lenora's head turn back in surprise. After a second, she smiled, and turned back to her task. Pariah would follow if he wanted, she was sure – and he did.

* * *

That's it for this chapter! Mostly dialogue. Progress? Perhaps. At least for Lenora. What do you think?

Thanks for reading~!


	22. Chapter 22

Jack and Sally had been doing interviews for a few weeks, and it was now into August. Unfortunately, the only thing most citizens seemed to remember from that night was where they had heard the alarm from the witches' shop, or saw the smoke. Consequently, most believed they were being interrogated about who might have broken in, and complimented Jack and Sally on conducting so through an investigation, even if it wasn't really their usual job. While Jack sometimes tried to explain that that wasn't his intent, at least he knew the citizens were honestly trying to remember who they'd seen. In reality, the actual investigator for Halloweentown had retired a few months previous, and Jack had been saddled with some of the responsibilities until a new one was found. But Jack had passed the witches' case on to the Mayor, at least until he could get a better grasp on Lenora's possible whereabouts. The Mayor, meanwhile, was putting off meeting with the witches as long as possible, hoping to give the case back to Jack without getting involved himself. All of which rather put the witches off their brew, which made them a bit testy to talk to. Eventually, though, they were able to corner the Mayor and make him listen to their case.

"S-so," the Mayor stammered nervously from his stool, "How can I help you ladies on this horrible day?"

"You can _start_," said one of the witches with a glare, "by listening to what we have to say."

"Of course, of course!" the Mayor replied, "But, you know how busy my schedule is;" he trailed on, getting off his stool in preparation to vacate the room; "verifying plans for Halloween, checking up on haunts, ensuring scare quality stays terrible…"

The witches narrowed their eyes. "_Listening_ to citizens." The first witch continued for him, leaning forward for emphasis.

The Mayor backed up a step. "Y-yes," he continued, keeping his smiling face forward, "I'm sure you wretched ladies understand." He started for the doors when they suddenly slammed close, locking as well. The Mayor's other face swiveled around, anxiety plastered on its grey surface. He looked back at the witches.

"We're sure you can make some time to fit us in." The second witch remarked. "Right now seems good, hm?"

The Mayor frowned. "…I suppose so…" he said dejectedly, returning to his seat. He turned on his stool to face the witches, though he didn't change his face back. "Now, what exactly did you want to talk about?"

"The break-in!" The first witch exclaimed, making the Mayor jump, "The one that did such damage to our shop!"

"Yes, yes, of course." The Mayor placated her, "I was just meaning did you have any specific details to bring up?"

"We lost items to more than just smoke that night." The second witch said ominously.

"It was that deplorable bird girl of Sally's: Lenora!" The first witch spat; she obviously did not mean 'deplorable' in a complimentary way.

"What?" The Mayor asked dubiously, "Are you sure? I mean, she's not exactly… scaring material, if you know what I mean, much less thief material. Although, there was that one time…" he trailed off, thinking to the one instance with the local botanist. He had accused her of stealing some items, although had no definitive proof. In fact, he hadn't had any evidence aside from seeing her in the area, which was why he had dismissed the thought for so long.

"We ran into her as she was fleeing the scene." The second witch said, "She had a pitcher of a potion, saying she was on an errand for Sally."

"But that little sneak was so panicked;" the first witch interrupted, "she ran off as soon as we realized the shop was in danger."

The Mayor switched his faces, thinking momentarily; that did sound rather convincing, but… he could still find a way to avoid it. "I'm sorry ladies," he said, "but if that is all the evidence you can give me, I can't do a thing about it. You know the laws, and if you actually caught her in the act you should have kept a better hold on her. Now, unless you have further evidence, she is free as a bird, so to speak, and I will be off myself!"

Before he could get up, though, the second witch thudded a large crystal ball onto his desk with her hands. "Oh, but we _do_ have further evidence."

The Mayor's face switched again. "Oh, really…" he said disappointedly; he had been barred from his escape plan once more.

The first witch smiled and pulled an eyeball from beside her, with long nerves attached at the back. She held the eye with one hand and held the nerve ends up to the crystal ball with her other hand, while her sister held the crystal ball in place. The nerve endings did nothing for a moment, but then wavered around and found places to attach. Once plugged in, the crystal ball darkened intensely. It remained black for a few seconds, before suddenly displaying an image from inside the witches' shop. It was pointed towards a corner which had a window on one side, above a desk. A door was also visible. A winged figure was on the desk, leaning out the open window rigidly. What looked like either dark fog or smoke started billowing into the peripheral of the view. The figure quickly grabbed a pitcher which had been on the desk, and jumped out the window, the smoke soon clouding the rest of the vision.

The Mayor continued to stare for a moment afterwards. That had definitely been Lenora, she was the only one in town with wings like that. It certainly appeared to be conclusive evidence.

"We don't know how she got in without tripping the security;" the first witch explained, "we think she may have had help."

"From who?" The Mayor asked.

"Probably those troublesome trick-or-treaters." The second witch muttered.

"At any rate," the first witch continued, "She tripped the alarm on her way out, and then we ran into her almost right after that. It was Lenora all right."

"Well…" they Mayor said, "I'm afraid that Lenora is missing currently. If I remember Jack correctly, she's been gone for a while now."

"I bet she skipped town after that night…" the second witch murmured, "Well, good riddance!"

"Oooh!" The Mayor fretted anxiously, "We must tell Jack about this! I'm sure he'll want to know."

"That's what we've been saying!" The sisters chorused crossly.

"Well, with this information about Lenora," the Mayor tried to retaliate, although meekly, "he should be eager to listen."

The sisters nodded and packed away their security stuff. "He'd better be." The second witch mumbled to herself.

* * *

Lenora was maneuvering a broom that was almost larger than herself around one of the rooms in the treehouse. Pariah was perched on something ominous-looking on the wall. A small fragment of something hit the wall right beside him, making him flap his wings a little to keep his balance. He cawed annoyance as he settled back into his place. Lock idly reached around for another loose rock or something to put into his slingshot, but Lenora had actually made some progress with the broom and nothing was in his reach anymore. He sneered at the bird and folded his arms, too lazy at the moment to get up and snatch something else. Barrel sat on a table, which wobbled on its uneven legs, and he made it wobble even more by swinging his legs back and forth. He watched the bird with its four red eyes as he did so. "Hey Lenora;" he said at length, "Why do ya always have that bird around?"

Lenora didn't stop her sweeping as she answered. "I don't _have_ him, he's not mine; he just follows me around." She had told the trio repeatedly that she didn't give anything to the bird, which she didn't, and they certainly harassed Pariah enough to ward him away. But yet the bird stayed, and as odd as Lenora found it, she liked the bird's company, especially when the others went off somewhere or were in a nasty mood. She was also happy that they hadn't killed the bird. She was certain that he ought to be dead after several large projectiles had hit him, but he seemed to be quite resilient. She attributed it to his association with Halloweentown, and tried not to think too much about his owner.

"Well, _why_ does he follow you around?" Barrel pressed. He was bored, and pestering Lenora was something they all enjoyed. She was such an easy target. He grinned as she jumped at a metal clang – the broom had passed over an un-sprung trap. She froze in her grimace for a moment, recovering her heart rate, and eventually relaxed and moved the sprung trap carefully to the side.

"Umm…" she said, bringing her mind back to the conversation, "I don't know. I pet him sometimes…" She thought for a while; why did people follow others around? Usually, it was to scare them, at least around here. Other places, it was to keep track of them… She pushed that thought away quickly. What else could be a reason? She gave him attention, but never any food… and she didn't think that alone would be enough to make him stay this long. She continued thinking. Well, _she_ had followed the trick-or-treaters to their treehouse… Albeit the circumstances had been a bit dire, but that made another thought come to her mind. She paused in her work and looked back at Barrel. "Maybe he's lonely."

Barrel and Lock looked at each other for a second, then snorted into giggles and laughter.

"Hahaha! Right!" Barrel laughed.

"I'm _sure_ that's what birds worry about!" Lock teased.

"Well, it's not like he has a flock!" Lenora tried to defend herself.

"PSH, neither do you, birdbrain!" Lock retaliated easily.

Lenora couldn't think of any reply, so set her face and turned around back to work huffily. That set her thinking a little, though… Maybe Pariah was thinking of her as part of a flock or something – she had feathers and wings, after all. Why he wouldn't go for any of the other birds around the Hinterlands, she didn't know, but the more she thought about it, she realized she also didn't care. Pariah maybe considered her family of some sort; that made her loose her huffy attitude at least.

A cacophonous screech jarred them all from their thoughts. "Lock! Barrel! Get over here!"

Barrel swung his legs and hopped off the table. Reluctantly, Lock got up, though he eyed Pariah mischievously. He slowly started heading for the door, keeping his eyes on the bird. Then, in one quick motion, he snatched up a chip of wood and shot it with his slingshot. The object found its target, and Pariah cawed as he flapped his wings. The piece hadn't been very substantial, but it was enough to knock Pariah off his balance and his perch. Lock and Barrel cackled at the success, though they quickly exited as Pariah took a dive at them. Lenora stuck out her tongue after them, while Pariah circled the room and landed near her. She pet the raven, smoothing his black feathers for a few moments. Then she readjusted a bandage on her arm and returned to sweeping.

Lock and Barrel approached Shock. "What's up?" Barrel asked.

Shock's face seemed serious. "We need to go downstairs."

"Says who?" Lock demanded, "Mr. Fancy Fangs?"

"No;" shock retorted, "Mimipede left somewhere."

It was silent for a moment.

"You know;" Lock began, "if Mimipede is _gone_…"

"… Right now…" Barrel carried on as he also connected the dots.

Shock grinned as the boys caught on. "_We_," she continued, "could tell Oogie about Lenora!"

"And blame Mimipede!" Lock finished.

None of them really liked the idea that Oogie seemed to confide in the giant insect rather frequently. They knew that Mimipede was downstairs often, although he did disappear at times – where, they didn't know or really care. But they could now use that information against him, and once again be Boogie's Boys, the only one to openly work for the Boogie Man. They took pride in their job, after all; they would make sure to keep it secure.

"We could kick him out!" Barrel said excitedly.

"He wouldn't see it coming!" Shock added.

"Maybe he would even play a _game_." Lock crooned.

They all started to giggle evilly and as the plan solidified their minds.

"What kind of game?"

They cut off their laughter abruptly, then turned and saw Lenora coming over, broom in hand. Looking around briefly, Lock saw Pariah sitting on a box nearby and jumped. The bird was staring at them rather intensely, and he wasn't sure how long it had been there – it was unsettling.

"… Just…" Shock started, "…playing with a new game idea."

"… With scissors!" Barrel exclaimed. Lock and shock kind of gave him a look, and Barrel wondered if they were going to hit him.

"… And… throwing knives." Lock added, deciding to go with whatever Barrel had started.

"And… traps!" Shock threw in, "And lots of other sharp things!" Lenora subconsciously began picking at one of her bandages nervously. Shock got closer to Lenora. "But it's a secret, so _don't_ follow us!"

Lenora shrank under the witch's glare. "O-okay." She said.

The trick-or-treaters then looked at each other, grinned maliciously, and ran together out of the room. Lenora watched them, for a second considering going after them, but then dismissed the thought with a sigh. She looked at Pariah, who also seemed to be watching the trio, but then he shook himself and ruffled its feathers, preening a little bit. Lenora smiled faintly, and went off to the next room to sleep, forgetting about the pile of dirt she'd left in the previews room.

* * *

"I still don't see why did you didn't take the girl that first night she met you." Mimipede complained.

"Because," came the calm reply, "the time wasn't right."

Mimipede frowned. "What do you mean? She seemed in a fragile enough state: distressed, scared, anxious, and everything."

"Yes, but she still had some small hopes left."

"Oh, so she wasn't desperate enough?" Mimipede snorted.

Demise smirked. "You could say that."

Mimipede sneered. "Well, hate to break it to you, but she hasn't exactly descended into despair since arriving at that ramshackle treehouse."

Demise raised his eyebrows. "And whose fault is that?"

Mimipede hissed in his own defense. "Hey, things are _perfectly_ set up to scare her out of her wits! The place is practically a pit of traps and accidents waiting to happen, even without my help, and the little brats take almost every opportunity to scare her–"

"_Almost_." Demise interrupted; "Otherwise, it might seem like she's _bonding_ with them. At least, that's how it appears."

"Well, I can't control those cretins!" Mimipede shot back, "And it's not like _your_ pet has been doing anything to help since arriving."

"Because," Demise explained, "she needs someone to _trust_. Things will be going downhill for her current situation, one way or another, and she needs a ready fallback. She already associates Pariah with me. To her, you are just another monster of Halloween; a shadow of fear lurking in the shadows."

"Speaking of shadows, "Mimipede continued, forcibly moving on, although in a more subdued tone, "Oogie is still in the dark about Lenora, but he won't be for much longer. She's practically as noisy as a banshee; I'm surprised she's not been discovered yet. We should get her before Oogie becomes involved, and a problem."

"Oh, I don't think _you'll_ have to worry about him for much longer." Demise said, "I have a feeling you and he won't be on such… 'friendly' terms after your next talk."

Mimipede looked confused for a moment. "What… do you mean?"

"Let's just say," Demise said with a smile, "a little bird told me so."

Realization flashed across Mimipede's eyes. He then contorted his face in anger and rushed off, skittering across the ground. Demise simply watched him go, still smiling, and chuckled darkly to himself.

* * *

"And _what_ is so important," Oogie demanded of the trio in front of him, "that y'all couldn't handle it yourselves?" By this point, his body was mostly put together, although there was still only about three fourths of his normal amount of bugs within his sack body. Consequently, the stitching along his sides was still a bit loose. He didn't look quite as intimidating as before the Christmas incident, yet, but the trick-or-treaters knew his attitude was still the same, if not possibly worse.

"It's about Mimipede." Shock began, more confidently than she felt.

"What about him?" Oogie rumbled.

"We think he's going behind your back." Lock stated. Oogie's eyebrows rose; well, as well as they could in his somewhat deflated state.

"He disappears at weird times," Barrel piped up, "like in the middle of the day!"

"Plus," Shock added, "he brought over a kid and keeping her upstairs."

"He could be planning something!" Lock said.

"Like a… a…" Barrel added, "…a trap!"

"Or a betrayal!" Lock continued.

"WHAT?!" Oogie thundered. The trio had been expecting it, but this sound still made them tremble in fear. "When did this happen?"

"A – a while ago." Barrel stammered.

"WHY didn't you tell me sooner?!" Oogie yelled, towering above them.

"Because Mim-Mimipede threatened us!" Shock whined defensively.

"And he is scarier than _ME_?!" Oogie dared, glowering at them.

"Of course not!"

"Not in a million years!"

"Never! Never never ever!"

Oogie silenced their protests by turning his back. They were afraid to talk for a while, but then Oogie broke the silence. "What does this girl know?"

"Almost nothing." Shock quickly supplied.

"Yeah;" Barrel added; "she can't cook very well, or be scary… Or…" He trailed off as the other two glared at him.

"She doesn't know a thing about you, Oogie." Lock continued, "And she scares real easy. She's been the one making all the racket upstairs."

"Really?" Oogie mused, more to himself than the trio. "Hmm... I suppose I could use a bit of fun…" He turned back to the trick-or-treaters. "Why don't you send her down here for a little game? I'll '_talk'_ to Mimipede later."

The three froze with grins on their faces; Mimipede would be taken care of, that was for sure now. But they entirely forgot about what might happen Lenora. Although, it kind of expected it a while ago… But yet…

Shock cleared her throat. "Umm… Mr. Oogie, there's one more thing…"

"Now what?" Oogie growled.

"You see… The girl is Jack's daughter."

Even the air seemed to stand still in the silence that followed. At length, a slightly demented grin spread across Oogie's face. "I'm sorry," he said, getting closer, "what was that? I don't think I quite heard you right." He held one arm up to his ear, waiting for someone to talk.

"The girl upstairs is Jack's daughter!" Shock repeated in a rush.

"… Adopted." Barrel added in after a moment.

Oogie remained silent for a few seconds, then erupted into booming laughter. Caught by surprise, trio jumped. Oogie continued laughing, and really seemed to get into it; he held his belly, threw his head back, and tottered around in a circle before getting enough of a hold on himself to speak.

"Ooooh, this is too good, _too_ good!" He laughed; "you're telling me that my archenemy's kid is just sitting around upstairs, practically _waiting_ for me to take my revenge on that bonehead and his ragdoll? I can see the looks on their faces now: their poor, innocent little girl – gone! 'Oh, what can we do!'" He wailed in mockery. He suddenly got serious. "They don't know that she's here, do they?"

"Not a chance!"

"Of course not!"

"They've never guess!"

"Good;" Oogie continued, jovial again, "let's keep it that way; for now."

"You got it!" The older place simultaneously. Of course, they could only assume that Jack or anyone else didn't know where Lenora was, but no one had showed up _yet_…

* * *

Jack waved as the cyclops left. "Thank you for your help," he said, "and remember to keep an eye out for Lenora!" Jack sighed as he scratched another name off his list. He hoped Sally was having better luck than he – they were running out of citizens to interview and still had limited leads on Lenora. One had said they heard a scream distinct from the witches' alarm, but it had been near the square and had probably been a ghost seeing the smoke. A few had mentioned seeing a flash of white running through town, but it never seemed to have a particular direction – especially when added together. A possible route seemed so twisted and random that it couldn't have been someone who knew where they were going. Lenora knew her way around town fairly well by now.

Zero barked and shook Jack from his thoughts, at least enough to redirect them. Jack idly patted Zero as he thought about who was left he could still talk to. It was into the evening, the light of day still visible but the pumpkin sun out of sight. This was one of the busier times of day, relatively, and he would have to track down whoever was next. There was the town band still, and Mr. Hyde, and… the witches. Jack was trying to put off talking to them, for he knew they would only want to talk about their shop, since the incident had happened the same night as Lenora's disappearance, and how he should be after the rascals who'd broken in. Getting them to talk with Sally would go equally nowhere; he now assumed that the Mayor was handling that situation tactfully enough. He was also hoping the fewweeks' time since the incident would cool the witches down, but… he hadn't checked up on that yet. He considered it… then decided that the band shouldn't be too hard to find.

Jack was just about to step into the street when a hearse came to a quick halt just past him.

"Mayor!" Jack said in surprise, "…If you're coming for advice, I'm afraid I'm in the middle of-"

"Jack!" The Mayor cut him off, tumbling out of his car. "Oof! Jack, we have some information for you!"

Jack raised his non-existent eyebrows. "We?"

Two witch sisters came out of the other side of the hearse, although with a bit more grace than the Mayor. Before Jack could even attempt an excuse, one of them spoke. "It's about your little bird girl."

Jack immediately began asking questions, "Really? Did you find her? What happened? Where is she?"

Before he could get too much further, the taller witch stopped him. "She was in our shop that night."

"_She's_ the one that started the smoke!" the other witch added.

"What?" Jack asked, incredulous; "…Are you sure? I mean, I find it highly unlikely that she would-"

"It's true, Jack." The Mayor interrupted; "I saw it on their spy eye crystal. She escaped through a window with something before smoke filled the room."

"…How could she get in?" Jack asked, still finding the news hard to believe.

"We don't know." The shorter witch huffed, and her sister continued.

"The security wasn't activated until she opened the window to get out. We think she must have had some help, at least getting in."

"…You say she was carrying something when she left?" Jack mused; "Perhaps she was put up to it by some other kids? …Well, no, I don't think any of them would be able to hold the shop's security down well enough for her… Plus, none of them acted suspiciously when we talked to them…"

The witches were glaring at him impatiently, though he didn't notice. The Mayor fidgeted nervously with his spider tie, somehow evading getting bitten. Then, Jack suddenly realized who must have been involved. "Oh!" he exclaimed. The Mayor jumped, but Jack's attention was now on the witches. "You think it could've been Lock, Shock, and Barrel?"

"Of course!" the witches chorused together.

"Of… course." Jack echoed to himself. The answer had been practically right in front of him from the start, but he had allowed his own biases and ideas to get in the way of seeing it. He really needed to start listening to Sally more…

Jack sighed, then straightened up. I'll go investigate." He announced.

The Mayor's face switched to his happy side. "How horrible! I'll spread the news!"

Jack quickly laid a hand on the Mayor. "No, please! Wait; I… I want it to be a surprise for Sally." He didn't want to mention anything to her before the girl was actually found – Sally was worried enough as it was. He didn't want her to insist on coming along and then have it ending up being another dead end.

The Mayor grinned. "Ah, I see. Well, worst of luck, Jack!"

"Thank you!" Jack called as he left. He would be sure to talk to those three kids when he found Lenora, scarily when necessary. But first, to find _them_.

* * *

Lenora entered another room to sweep, and Pariah soon found a perch for himself. She noticed a few small dust piles, which could have been from an unfinished cleaning job earlier, but she didn't remember so assumed that they were new. As she began, her mind wandered to the trick-or-treaters again, but she tried to think of other things. So she thought about Sally, and how she usually hummed while cleaning. Lenora got a little sad at the thought, remembering how much she missed her… mom… But she put that feeling aside as she realized she could try to be like Sally by humming herself. Lenora paused as she tried to think of any songs she knew. Before coming to Halloweentown, Lenora couldn't really remember hearing much music. Since coming, she had heard lots of bits and pieces while wandering town, but nothing in whole. In school, they had learned a lot of little tunes and quips, like, "Give a 'roar'! Hear a 'scream'! But remember, don't be 'mean'!" However, she had really only learned one or two full songs; and as much as some of the kids took advantage of singing time to surprise her, Lenora was surprised she had learned even that much. But she could remember some of them now, and as she tried to grab on to one of the songs she remembered best, Lenora closed her eyes, gripped her broom, and bobbed her head as she established the beginning in her head. Then, she opened her eyes and began humming, sweeping in time with the tune. It was a little difficult, concentrating on both things at once, but she believed she could do it.

Pariah cocked his head as Lenora swayed and swept, soon spinning slowly around the room. She wasn't really getting much done, but she didn't seem to notice. Eventually, the idea of sweeping in a particular direction was all but forgotten as Lenora went about the room, accentuating movement with her wings, sort-of avoiding the dirt, ignoring when she didn't. Then, she attempted to do a twirl. Her balance wavered, and she subconsciously flapped her wings to regain it, spreading dirt everywhere. She was focused, though, and even if she still wobbled a bit, she managed to hold herself up on her feet. Lenora smiled.

She turned to look at Pariah to see if he had seen her, when a thunderous shout shook the air. Immediately, Lenora dropped to the floor with a squeal, covered her head with her arms and wings, and dropped the broom. When nothing whizzed by her head, and no crashing sounds occurred, Lenora cautiously looked p. Nothing seemed to have changed; no new holes had appeared in the walls or floor, no smoke was emanating from anywhere. Only the fact that Pariah had changed position and was staring intently at the doorway indicated that anything at all had happened. Lenora picked up her broom as she got back up, and approached the door. She heard yelling now, indistinctly, but definitely not a voice she recognized – it was much deeper than anyone she knew, especially the trick-or-treaters. She was exiting the room when another roaring yell boomed into her ears. She winced and scrunched herself against the wall, clutching the broom as the wave passed. Once thing settled, again, Lenora peeked into the next room, to see if it had come from there.

This room had an open pipe jutting from one wall. There was a mouth painted around it, and it looked fairly intimidating. Lenora had been told to avoid the pipe. Lock had told her it lead down to where a demon lived, and sometimes it spat fire. Barrel had said that whatever was down there was always hungry, and now and then it would shoot up claws and spikes through the pipe. Whatever was unlucky enough to be in the way, was dragged down and devoured. Shock had said the creature down there played with its visitors, but the visitors never came back. There was usually screaming involved, as well. All these stories were more than enough to keep Lenora away from the pipe; usually. At the moment, though, the trio was gone, and Lenora could somewhat hear voices coming from the pipe from her current position. Joined with the unexplained rumblings, Lenora's curiosity was getting the better of her fear. She warily started getting closer to the pipe. Then, Pariah suddenly flew in, quietly landing on the pipe itself. Lenora tensed as she waited for something horrible to happen, but when nothing did, she grew a bit bolder in her approach. As she got closer, the words got clearer.

"…_doesn't know a thing about you, Oogie."_ That sounded like Lock. And she knew she'd heard that name somewhere before… _"And she scares real easy. She's been the one making all the racket upstairs."_

"_Really?"_ The deep voice intoned. _"Hmm… I suppose I could use a bit of fun… Why don't you send her down here for a little game? I'll 'talk' to Mimipede later."_

Lenora froze; Mimipede was that super-creepy giant bug creature! She had first seen him the night she'd run away… She gasped as she recalled who else she had met that night, who Oogie was, how _bad_ he was! How Lock, Shock, and Barrel had once worked for him… But he had been destroyed! Or at least defeated… But, it _was_ a town full of ghosts and ghouls; Oogie was apparently back somehow, and it seemed he had the trick-or-treaters working for him again. But… how long had he been back? Surely not longer than she had been around – she would have noticed that voice earlier, as loud as it was. Although… she _was_ always away from that pipe; if he hadn't yelled just now, she probably wouldn't have heard him… But, the trio hadn't even kidnapped her, really – _she_ had followed _them_! And they had really seemed like they didn't want her around! But… when she had been brought inside, their attitude _did_ seem changed… What if they had just been following orders he whole time? Her face fell as she thought of that – she had thought they were actually being friendly, in their own way…

Suddenly, booming laughter erupted from the pipe. Surprised, Lenora jumped back and dropped the broom. It took her a while to get her heart rate back under control again, or at least not racing out of her chest. She didn't know why Oogie was laughing, but she didn't like the sound of it. She was just about to leave the room when words came up again. _"Oooh, this is too good, __too__ good! You're telling me that my archenemy's kid is just sitting around upstairs, practically __waiting__ for me to take my revenge on that bonehead and his ragdoll?"_

He… Oogie was talking about Sally! And Jack! That was right; Jack had been the one to take care of Oogie before; so now that he was back… Lenora gasped as she realize the situation. Oogie could use her to get to Sally and Jack! He was probably forcing Lock, Shock, and Barrel to help him, too! And that… Mimipede was helping him out!

More words came up the pipe, but Lenora didn't register them. She ran from the room, Pariah following her, and opened a window nearby. She climbed out the window on to the main tree. A loose bandage wrapping caught on a branch, but it was almost off anyway, so she left it as it came off. She wasn't usually allowed outside, according to the trick-or-treaters, but she _had_ to get back and warn Sally! Sally could then tell Jack, and keep them safe. The others would understand. But first… she had to get off the treehouse and over the surrounding pit.

She looked out – she was higher than the ground; much higher. She _could_ just glide over… Her stomach tightened at the thought, but she reminded herself that she had kind-of done the same thing to get _to_ the treehouse before, and had managed it. She hadn't had the advantage of height then, either. She had done a few other height-helped glides before, too, from rooftops and windows… She tried to forget how awkwardly those had gone and focus on the fact that she'd _done_ them.

Pariah circled between her and the empty air ahead, and cawed what Lenora imagined was encouragement. Lenora prepared her wings, took deep breaths, and spread herself for balance. She could feel a breeze, slightly chilly and blowing towards the Hinterlands. Then, she took a few quick steps forward but the branches moved a little under her weight and she faltered before throwing herself forward. She waved her arms in circles and flapped her wings as she regained her balance. Once she had it, she scolded herself; the bridge had been shakier than this, and she had managed to jump off it! But… under the bridge, there had only been empty space – here, there were branches and pipes she might hit if she didn't get going right. Lenora shook her head and solidified her resolve by repeating to herself that she had to help Sally! She backed up again, and focused on the empty air in front of her. She wouldn't look around this time, not let the wobbling stop her. She sprinted forward and jumped.

For a moment, it seemed like she hung in the air. She kept her focus on the empty space ahead, trying to angle herself forward. Then, wind began passing over her. She easily passed the trench, though she didn't notice; but the air was moving faster and faster, and as her angle sharpened the ground came into view, and was growing closer and closer. She was heading into a dive straight at the ground! Lenora froze for a second, all her other crashes replaying instantaneously in her mind. Then she blinked and forced herself to look up, tearing her gaze from the ground to the sky. Instinctively, she flapped her wings to accommodate for the change in sight. Her headlong dive stiffly up turned into a more controlled descent, the change breaking her mind's focus on its own spiral of doom. She then could actually notice the wind across her feathers, the weightlessness of flight. She pointedly thought about making a good landing, and while she did stumble a little, she only bent one knee to the ground to regain her balance. Her heart was racing wildly, but this time she didn't feel the urge to run away or hide – it was… excitement. Lenora felt an incredulous smile form on her things; she had done it! She had made a successful glide over a steep distance! She had even managed to escape a dive of death.

"Ha! ...Heheh!" A few odd laughs burst from her as she realized what she'd done. As it processed, she whipped around to find Pariah. She spotted him flying above her, not as high as earlier but still there. "I did it, Pariah!" She exclaimed, still a bit delirious from the feeling ,both from the flight and its success. She wished someone else had seen it, too… Which reminded her that she didn't have time to celebrate for long – she had to go and warn Sally!

* * *

Happy Halloween all! Treat is, you get another chapter! Trick? Nah - just a cliffhanger of sorts~ 3

Thank you for reading! I enjoy hearing what you think if you've time to leave a comment; please let me know how you like it!


	23. Chapter 23

The trio ambled down the hallway in the treehouse, unsure exactly how to feel. They had succeeded in getting Mimipede on Oogie's bad side, but…

"Well, it'll be quiet here without that twat crying all the time." Lock grumbled.

"Yeah…" Shock agreed.

Barrel scuffed his feet on the wooden floor, somehow not getting any splinters. "I had kinda gotten used to scaring her so easily…"

They all had gotten used to the extra noise around the place, and while it may have gotten annoying at times, it had nonetheless kind-of grown on them. Besides, they didn't have to go into town to get a good scream. Thinking of noises, though, Shock noticed that the usual ruckus was missing now. She paused, the boys stopping soon after her. "What?" Barrel asked.

"Do you hear anything?" Shock asked. They all listened for a moment: nothing. Either Lenora had fallen asleep, or she had finally managed to impale herself on something… The kids looked at each other momentarily, then quickly went off to look for the girl.

"Not here!" Barrel called from a cupboard.

"Not here!" Lock said, looking in a closet.

Shock popped into a few rooms, "Nope."

"Not in here!" Barrel said from a cauldron.

Shock then passed by the room with the pipe down to Oogie in it. She glimpsed something still in one piece on the floor, so went back and into the room. It was a broom, lying by the pipe. It looks like one Lenora usually used… But Lenora stayed out of this room. Shock briefly wondered if she herself had left a broom there earlier, when she was interrupted by Lock's voice.

"Hey! Over here!" Shock and Barrel joined Lock at an open window. That was weird; they'd kept all windows closed since Lenora came. Lock pointed to something on a branch nearby – it was a bandage; one of Lenora's wrappings. They all stared in silence out the open window, where she must have escaped.

"Why… did she leave?" Barrel voiced, confused.

"She probably heard us, you twit!" Shock snapped, "Or at least Oogie! I just saw a broom over by the pipe, and Oogie wasn't exactly quiet down there."

"That brat!" Lock growled, "After all we've done for her, too!" After a moment's hesitation, he turned and started heading for the tub. "Let's go track her down!"

Shock joined him. "Yeah! Before someone else finds her!"

Barrel ran to catch up to them. "Hey, hold up!" They didn't' slow. He shot a glance back out the window worriedly, almost tripping over himself in the process. "What about La Llorona?!" he finally exclaimed.

Lock and Shock paused, then turned to look out the window again. It was now dark. It was still early into the night, but still… There was always the possibility.

Shock broke the tension, though; "Do _you_ want to go and tell Oogie we lost her?" Barrel balked at the notion. Not receiving a reply, she turned around and continued on her way. After a moment, Lock and Barrel followed just as determinedly.

* * *

Jack walked briskly through the Hinterlands, not noticing if the breeze moving his coattails was natural or being caused by his pace. It didn't really matter, though – the search pack that had been out a few weeks ago haven't turned up anything except the occasional skeletal appendage, which was normal, and none had been child sized. He felt he could assume that Lenora wasn't lost in the forest; the packs were quite thorough. He was now going to check the trick-or-treaters' treehouse himself, and he hoped she was somewhere in its branches. Albeit, the trio were just children, but Jack had thought about it more as he'd just left the witches in town, and had recognized that having had worked for Oogie Boogie, they might have held onto a few habits he'd taught them.

Jack suddenly glimpsed movement. He froze to get a better look, since it was small and he saw some white. However, what he saw was Barrel's backside a few yards away, looking around a tree. At first, Jack was disappointed that it wasn't Lenora, but then he thought that maybe he could work this to his advantage, since he didn't see the other two around. Jack easily sneaked up behind the boy with a few strides. When Barrel turned around, he collided with Jack's lanky legs and fell backwards.

"Waaah!" He exclaimed as he hit the ground and immediately scrambled backwards against the tree. Looking up, he recognized the Pumpkin King. "Oh, J-Jack!" Barrel said, with only a bit more composure than his previous yell.

"Hello, Barrel." Jack said conversationally, "I was just on my way to the Doors, when I happened to spot you. Since you are here, I have a question for you." Barrel had already gotten up, but at Jack's statement he froze. "Have you seen Lenora around? [9-27-12] You see, she seems to have run off somewhere, and I haven't had any luck finding her. At least, not in town. You run around here in the Hinterlands more often than I; surely you might have seen her _somewhere_?"

Barrel fidgeted slightly under the skeletons gaze. "Uhm… Lenora? You mean, that white bird girl?"

"Of course;" Jack confirmed, "you three 'helped' her once, don't you remember?"

Barrel glanced away. "… Right; her… Well, I haven't seen her out here, that's for sure!"

"Not at all?" Jack pressed, "Not even a white feather?"

Barrel shook his head. "Nope!"

"Hmm…" Jack pretended to muse, "Well what about Lock or Shock? Perhaps they might've seen her?"

"I don't know about them." Barrel countered, "We're playing hide and seek right now, so I don't know where they are, but I'm pretty sure they haven't seen Lenora."

Jack leaned forward and continued staring in silence at the boys for a few seconds. Barrel wasn't sure if he should run off, or say something else, or… what. Before he could decide though, Jack backed off and picked up his conversational tone again. "Well, alright then. I'll continue with my investigation, and you three just let me know if you see anything."

"S-sure thing, Jack!" Barrel stuttered, surprised to have gotten off the hook so easily, but not forgetting to cross his fingers behind his back. Jack grinned and walked briskly off. Barrel watched him for a few moments, and then dashed off himself. Jack heard the boy scamper off, and he is grin grew darker. He veered off his course, and began following Barrel.

Barrel was thankful to get away from Jack's probing stare; despite the emptiness of the skeleton's sockets, Jack had a way of staring into your soul. Barrel was now off to find Lock and Shock. He had been searching for Lenora for what had felt like forever, and since he had been alone, La Llenora was never far from his thoughts. Jack's interruption had scared him pretty well – he had no desire to be on his own in the Hinterlands anymore.

After retracing his steps for a while, he tentatively called out. "Loooock… Shooock…?" There was no response. He moved to another area nearby and looked around. He spotted a red tail on the other side of the tree. "Hey!" He barked out. The tail twisted in surprise, and Barrel heard some ambiguous exclamations. He got closer, asking, "What?"

Lock wheeled on him; "I said shut up! I thought I heard someone else…" Both boys looked around, but saw nothing but the trees and their shadows in the pale moonlight. The sun had set rather quickly, and the moon was never too far behind it. Shadows failed to reassure Barrel on this night, though.

"Lock, we gotta go find shock."

"What's-a matter?" Lock sneered, "Ghosts on your trail?"

"No;" Barrel answered defensively, "… I ran into Jack."

"What!?" Lock cried, "You idiot! What'd you do that for?!"

"It wasn't _my_ fault!" Barrel shot back, "He snuck up on me! Besides, he's gone now."

"And how do _you_ know that?" Lock growled.

"Because he said he was going to the Doors." Barrel retorted, "And… He was looking for Lenora."

"Did you tell him anything?!"

"Of course not! What do you think I am, stupid?"

"Sometimes you are." Lock responded.

"Well," Barrel continued, "I think we should still go back."

"You're just scared." Lock shot off.

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"You're just scared because you didn't find anything!"

There was a slight uncomfortable silence.

"Well… I bet you didn't either." Lock finally retorted. The further silence was worse than a reply might have been.

"… Let's just go find Shock." Barrel muttered.

Instead of arguing, the devil boy simply glanced around uncomfortably and started walking off. Barrel followed, as did an extra shadow that neither noticed.

* * *

Lenora leaned on her own legs for support as she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Despite her motivation, she could only run for so long without taking a break. Pariah, who had been flying above her, landed in the branches of a nearby tree. The moon was slowly beginning to make its climb higher into the sky, but for the moment it still cast long shadows in the night. Lenora's mind was blank as she breathed heavily and tried to ignore the aching in her legs. She had tried running straight for a while, simply away from the treehouse, but was convinced that at some point she must have turned because she felt like she was running in a circle. So she had turned, and continued on in that direction since. She believed she was going the right way into town, but she certainly felt like she was taking a roundabout way to it.

Meantime, Pariah waited patiently in the tree. Suddenly, he perked up and looked around. Then he cawed and took leave of the tree, to the right of Lenora's current location. Lenora heard him and, assuming he was telling her to get moving, said in between breaths, "Okay; okay I'm almost ready…" She glanced up as she finished talking, but he wasn't in the tree, or above her. Panicking for a second, she frantically scanned the area; her heart calm down when she saw him in another tree further away. She sighed and stood upright, having regained most of her breath again. "Come on, Pariah…" she called out, taking a few steps toward him; "We gotta find –"

Her voice cut off as she saw a figure begin to move out of the tree's shadow. Lenora registered long hair; her instant thought was of Sally, but the hair was too dark, so her next thought was of La Llorona. But before the thought had time to process fully, the figure stood full in the moonlight, and she saw a black cloak. Once her instant panic subsided, Lenora recognized that it was Demise. He was looking up in the tree, and once he spotted Pariah, extended an arm. Lenora saw his hand, starkly white in contrast to his dark cloak; the moonlight seemed to give it an aura of pallor, as if it were emanating a glow of whiteness. Pariah flew down on the extended hand, and Demise quickly moved bird to his shoulder. He stroked him gently a few times, then turned to Lenora and smiled.

"Thank you for caring for Pariah." He said smoothly, beginning to walk towards her.

"I… I didn't really do much." She replied softly; she remained frozen.

"No, it doesn't take much;" Demise continued as he approached, "just watching and getting attention and he's quite happy." Demise's smile turned into a smirk briefly as he glanced at Pariah. She wished that she could shoo Pariah off of Demise's shoulder, but the raven seemed so content that she didn't think would help her feeling. She wasn't sure what it was about Demise, but he unsettled her. Although, it wasn't like he had any claws or sharp teeth or anything. In fact, his hair was really flowy, and while he was really white, he wasn't transparent like a ghost. And his covered-red-eye-thing wasn't _that_ bad, compared to some of the citizens in town.

Demise came to a stop near her. "So, what brings you out here again?"

"Um… Well…" Lenora didn't know what to say – she wasn't sure if she should spill her guts again, although it hadn't really had bad consequences last time. She looked at his face, and it looked… somewhat soft. Not like Sally, for sure, but… open. And expectant. He still made her feel nervous, but… the more she looked, the more she questioned why. She tried to choose a medium truth. "… Running."

"Really?" he intoned curiously, raising an eyebrow; "You seem to give your legs a lot of exercise."

"Umm… I guess…" Lenora responded, little confused, but she _was_ the one who had brought it up.

"What about your wings?"

"… What?" Lenora asked, now really confused, and subsequently relaxed out of her frozen state.

"Your wings;" he repeated, "do you give them as much attention? Exercise, stretching?"

Lenora twisted her face and shifted her wings a little, honestly trying to think of what she usually did with them. "Um… n-not really."

"What a pity." He stretched out a hand, but then seemed to catch herself and drew it back, although he didn't lower it. "I'm sorry;" he apologized, "do you mind?"

Lenora tilted her head slightly. "What?"

He gestured to her; "Your wings – I'd like to feel them."

Lenora was a bit taken aback; no one ever asked to feel her wings. Some wanted to see them, and other kids usually just attacked her if they were curious about her, but no one ever _asked_… Except for Sally, near the beginning, but she was different. Although Lenora felt somewhat awkward, Pariah was right there, and since Demise had asked, she felt obliged let him touch her wing. She reluctantly extended one wing, not all the way, and watched him warily.

He put out his hand again and brushed it along some of her larger feathers. He lingered there moment, then moved his hand gingerly set it on top of her wing; it didn't hardly feel like anything was on her at all. Then, he gave a quick squeeze. It caught her off guard, but didn't last long enough to warrant more than a glance. Also, his fingers had felt… much skinnier than they looked. And… sharper?

Before she could sort out what exactly she had felt, Demise spoke; "Your wings are quite grand. People would kill to have them themselves." Thrown off, Lenora gave him a look of disbelief and confusion. He saw her face, and couldn't help letting a few short laughs burst out. "You really don't know much about your own kind, do you?"

Lenora was still confused, and her face showed as much. Everyone she had known always make fun of her wings, except for Sally. Well, Jack might have avoided it, but Lenora always found it hard to remember his exact words rather than just his shadowy presence. And here was Demise, _complimenting_ her wings, and staying others _wanted_ them. Badly. Yet his words also reminded her of one of Shock's first accusations against her…_ You really _don't_ know anything, do you?_

Demise smiled at her still confused expression, although he did register the slight hurt as well. "Humans have all had dreams of flying," he explained, "at one point of their lives or another. Other species, too." He looked back at her wings. "Some would give their lives to be granted wings… Some would take the lives of others." He slid his hand lightly along her wing, outward. There was hardly anything of weight to feel, but the sensation still unsettled her. His words didn't help. Lenora quickly retracted her wing.

Demise left his hand in the air for a few moments, then brought it back to his side. "Of course, that's just what some people say." he continued, "Sometimes what people say and do are two different things."

Lenora processed that for a second, and then realized what _she_ was supposed to be doing. "Oh!" She gasped, "I-I really need to get going!" She stepped away and started turning to run off, but then she glanced back worriedly at Pariah. Pariah showed no intention of leaving.

"What's the hurry?" Demise asked, "I thought you were just… 'running'?"

"Well, y-yes;" Lenora sputtered – she hadn't anticipated needing to defend her actions; "but…"

"Where are you running to?"

"… T-to town; to Halloweentown." Lenora managed to piece together. It was hard to keep secrets when she didn't know why she was.

"Well…" Demise drew out, "I do believe that your destination is _that_ way." He indicated to his left, opposite from her intended route. Lenora faltered; she was _sure_ she had been going the right direction! Well, mostly… Sort of. "Although, I'm not sure why you want to get back there so quickly." Demise continued, "From what I recall from our last meeting, you weren't exactly all that welcome there."

"Well, n-no…" Lenora conceded.

"Have things changed?"

Lenora opened her mouth to retort, but nothing came out for a while. "… I-I dunno."

Demise raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you been back there since then?"

Lenora shifted her gaze around, avoiding his look. "… N-not… really…"

"Do you think they still remember what you did?"

Lenora's heart thumped as she remembered, and closed her eyes tight, but she could still feel his question pressing on her. "I… I don't know!" She had to help Sally, but Sally _could_ still be mad about the witches' shop, and if she ran into Jack before finding Sally, or if Jack got back while they were talking…

She heard a caw at her feet, and opened her eyes to see Pariah looking up at her. She unclenched her hands, which he hadn't realized she'd been clenching, and gave a shuddering sigh.

"… I'm sorry." Demise said in a subdued tone, "Can you just tell me what you need to do?"

Lenora looked up at Demise; he _actually_ looked concerned. And worried. Like Sally did when she cried in her arms… Lenora couldn't sustain her lies anymore – and she didn't want to.

"I… I _have_ to go and warn Sally about Oogie Boogie!"

Demise's expression became more alert, but his voice maintained its composure. "What? What do you mean?"

Lenora looked at him and used her hands for emphasis; "He's going to use _me_ to get back at Sally and Jack! He's already forcing Lock, Shock, and Barrel to help him, and this… Mimipede thing is helping too."

"…How do you know this?"

"I heard them talking to the pipes." Lenora continued, "So I _need_ to go and warn Sally now. I'm sorry," she started turning the direction Demise had pointed out before, "but I have to-"

"_Wait_;" Demise demanded, taking Lenora by surprise and forcing her to stop; "think for a moment. Why do you need to go and warn Sally?"

Lenora looked at him in consternation. "I just said, I need to warn her that Oogie is going to use me against her and Jack!"

"How?" Demise continued, staring at her intently, "_How_ is Oogie going to use you?"

"Well, as… bait, I guess." Lenora replied slowly.

"How?" He pressed.

"I don't know! He has me, so I guess he-"

"Ah!" Demise interrupted her; "Look around you. Last time I checked, the Hinterlands were not owned by anyone. I don't think that Oogie can decide what to do with you right now." His smile returned.

Lenora stopped, and realized that Demise was right – she was no longer at the treehouse, and the trick-or-treaters didn't know she had left. Mimipede hadn't been around, either. So, since she was no longer at the Boogie Man's mercy, she didn't really need to go warn Sally anymore…

"…Is that where you've been this whole time? Demise asked after a moment, "With Bogie's Boys?"

"… Maybe…" Lenora answered, still a bit thrown off by the recent realization.

"… Is that where you got your bandages?"

Lenora looked confused momentarily, forgetting she had bandages; she was so use them now. A few had fallen off during her escape and subsequent run, and she briefly looked over what was left in surprise. "Oh, these? Y-yeah…" She saw him raise an eyebrow again, and suddenly understood his meaning. "I-I mean no! No! It's not like that!" she immediately defended.

"If you say so."

"They're not like that!" Lenora insisted, "They don't hurt me! …Well, not usually, not really, I mean – It's not the same!"

"How do you mean? Weren't they holding you hostage for Oogie Boogie?"

"They don't have a choice in that!" Lenora argued, although her resolve wavering.

"… Does that mean you want to go back?" Demise asked seriously.

Lenora wasn't sure; the trio were her only friends besides Pariah, but… The Boogie Man was their boss again…

"Do you want to put Sally in danger again?"

Lenora's face was stricken with such fear and shock, Demise was almost sorry he'd asked. "No;" she whispered, "No I don't."

Demise stared at her face a bit longer, then hardened himself again. "… Alright then;" Demise surmised, "you won't be returning to _them_."

Lenora was still too wrapped in her own thoughts to realize his emphasis. "No…" She responded emptily. But… now where would she go? She could still go back to Sally… right? Lenora looked despairingly into the trees, in the direction she believed town was, although she honestly couldn't remember anymore. But she was more concerned with how Sally might react. Would she be welcomed with open arms? Or…

"Well, I suppose it up to you where you go from here." Demise said; "I'm afraid I have some business I ought to see to and must be off." He looked at Pariah, who flew back to his shoulder.

Lenora snapped out of her reverie. "W-what?!"

"I wish you the best of luck, I really do," he continued, "but I should go. Now." He turned around to the way he'd come, his cloak and hair swishing with him, and began walking briskly away.

"_Wait_!" Lenora cried, more desperately than she'd intended. Demise paused, then turned back towards her. She had one put one hand forward, but just retracted it close to her chest.

He raised an eyebrow in expectation. "Yes?"

"… W-where are you going?"

Demise didn't change his expression. "To do some errands."

Lenora looked down for a moment then back up. "… In town?"

"Halloweentown? No… no; someone else has _that_ job."

"… What do you do?"

"Why do you want to know?"

An exceedingly long pause followed. Lenora fidgeted and looked around nervously, but couldn't seem to say anything. Eventually, Demise started turning away again. "Well I should be going-"

"Can-I-come-with-you!?"

Demise stopped, and hid a smirk. "What?" he asked, looking back at her.

Lenora looked very distraught, and her eyes were wide, but she continued. "I… I don't know what to do. I can't go back to the treehouse, and I can't go back to Sally… Not right now. I… I'm scared to be alone in the woods. Can I _please_ come with you?"

Demise evaluated her. "… You seemed fine running alone earlier."

Lenora looked over at Pariah. "I wasn't alone." she said softly.

Demise glanced at Pariah, then back to Lenora, gauging. "… Are you sure that you want to-?"

"_Please_!" Lenora interjected, her eyes begging for help.

He let the suspense hang for a few moments, then smiled and waved one arm out, towards his intended direction. "No one's stopping you."

Relief flooded over her visibly, but the comment seemed to remind her that others could be about, for she looked around before quickly coming over. Once she was close enough, Demise rested a hand on her shoulder briefly, as though welcoming her. Again, his touch was hardly perceptible except by sight, but currently Lenora had a hard time trusting even her inner feelings – why should her outer feelings be any different? Pariah cawed and flew over to her; she extended her hand and then put him on her shoulder. It helped calm her, and she was grateful to her friend for it. She hadn't noticed Demise's look at Pariah, nor did she see the smug smile on his face as he led her away.

* * *

WELL, isn't this exciting? Not an exceedingly long chapter, but nonetheless chock full of interest!

What do you think of this new... alliance? Or is it that? Leave a comment and let me know! Thanks.


	24. Chapter 24

Unbeknownst to Jack, Sally had grown impatient with their interviewing method. She had agreed to it against her better judgment, and here they were, weeks later and no closer to finding Lenora! The information that they had gathered she had been able to piece together somewhat, but Jack hadn't believed her conclusions, minimal though they were. She gathered that Lenora had definitely been seen around town the night of the Witches' Shop problem, and based on how sporadic the sightings had been, Lenora had been quite frightened. Of course, given the smoke and screaming emanating from the town square, she couldn't imagine Lenora _not_ being scared. Sally was still sure that the trick-or-treaters had something to do with it all, so she was now on her way to the treehouse. She hadn't been able to help Jack during the Christmas incident until it was almost too late; she was _not_ going to wait that long again to do something. The night was only just getting started; the trio would certainly still be up and about, if they were even at home. Maybe she would be lucky enough to find her little girl in the house alone, and they would be able to leave together. Although, Sally was more hoping to find the kidnappers _with_ Lenora, so that she could properly give them a piece of her mind! Not literally, of course – who knows what the children would do with it. But just because they had no mother figure didn't mean she couldn't let them know the wrath of one.

She finally spotted the treehouse, and had fresh determination spurring her onward when she heard some rustling nearby. Out of habit, she stopped and slipped into the shadow of a tree. Realizing what she was doing, she frustratedly almost stepped back out, but then she realized she could use her position to her advantage. She saw the trick-or-treaters come into view, and stayed hidden, hoping to hear some of their conversation. Maybe it would involve Lenora…

"I _told_ you I already looked there!" Shock snapped.

"I was just asking!" Barrel retorted.

"And she wasn't in the _other_ 50 places you asked about, either." Lock continued.

"At least _I'm_ trying!" Barrel shot back.

"Hey, I was looking too!" Lock countered angrily; "_You're_ the one who wanted to head back!"

"Was not!" Barrel argued.

"Were too!" Lock argued back.

"Fine!" Barrel said, "_You_ want to go and get eaten by La Llorona, go for it!"

"She doesn't eat kids, she drowns 'em!" Lock growled.

Sally suddenly felt a hand grip over her mouth, and something against her legs.. She reflexively struggled against it, hunching her shoulders and backing up. However, she immediately ran into a thin frame. Looking up, she saw Jack looking down at her, holding her in place. She stopped struggling, and Jack moved his hand from her shoulder to his mouth in a 'shh' motion. She nodded, and he removed his hand from her mouth. Looking down, she saw Zero by her legs, wearing a large grin saying he was happy to see her.

The trio heard some rustling in the trees, and had stopped talking. Jack noticed, and moved his hands up to his eyes sockets. He made crying motions at Sally. She scrunched her eyes in confusion; what was he doing? Jack made the motions faster, then pointed in the direction of the kids. Finally catching on to his meaning, Sally's face lit with recognition, and she nodded. She started making wailing noises. She was surprised at how awkward they sounded though; she hadn't done this in a while! Zero tilted his head at her, intrigued, but he was used to the haunts of Halloweentown enough to know she wasn't really crying. Focusing, she tried forcing herself to cry, to make it more believable. The wailing improved, but she was still too angry to actually get closer to crying.

It didn't matter, though, for the trick-or-treaters had already been thinking of La Llorona. Lock looked at Shock and Barrel; they all knew the sounds of Lenora's crying very well by this time, and that was definitely _not_ Lenora. "Let's go!" Shock hissed as she turned and ran towards the treehouse. The boys followed at her heels.

Sally continued the forced wail-crying for a little longer, and then looked up at Jack. He peered around the tree, then looked back at her. "You know," he said quietly, "you really ought to work on that crying. You sounded more like a banshee than a weeping woman."

Sally glared at him briefly as she folded her arms. "Well I'm not exactly used to impromptu performances!"

"Yes, well, I suppose there's always room for improvement." Jack nodded.

Sally couldn't hide a smirk as she shook her head. "It would have been better if I were in the mood, Jack. Which reminds me; what are _you_ doing out here?"

"Me?" Jack replied questioningly; "I'm… simply out and about. And searching for Lenora." He added quickly. Sally narrowed her eyes, but before she could say anything, Jack continued; "And what about _you_, Sally? I thought you were interviewing citizens?"

"Which is what _you_ are supposed to be doing, too, _dear_." Sally responded, unfolding her arms. Jack played with his fingers and looked away briefly before returning her gaze, waiting for an answer. She pursed her lips; she loved him, but sometimes he could be so dense. "…I got tired of waiting for you follow up on Boogie's Boys, so I decided to investigate myself."

Jack grinned. "Splendid idea! I couldn't have said it better myself. Well, since we both happen to be out here, how about I go and look into that, and you go back to town-"

"Jack!" Sally protested immediately, "No! You weren't even out here to look at the treehouse!"

"Ah, well, actually…" Jack responded, trailing off.

Sally stopped talking, put her hands on her hips, and raised an eyebrow questioningly, waiting him to continue.

Jack had a sudden flashback to being in school and the teacher waiting for him to explain how jellied brains had gotten onto the ceiling. Pushing that memory aside, he went on; "Um, you see, Sally… I actually happened to get some useful information from doing interviews in town, and was told that Lock, Shock, and Barrel probably had something to do with the incident at the Witches' Shop. Now," he continued defensively, "I know that you're thinking I'm here for that, but it's actually because the Witches' Shop was broken out of by Lenora."

"What?!" Sally exclaimed instinctively. Zero barked at the sudden noise, and they both quickly drew closer into the shadows and looked around, but relaxed once they saw nothing new. "What do you mean… 'broken out of'?" she asked quieter.

"Well, from what I understand," Jack explained quickly, "Lenora somehow got into the Witches' Shop and triggered the alarm on her way out. She also took something with her as she left."

Sally stared at him, and then shook her head. "Lenora doesn't steal, Jack. She might run away, but she doesn't steal things. She would be too scared to even _try_!"

Jack put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "I know it's hard to believe; I didn't either at first. But the witches have a recording of her in their shop that night." He wouldn't mention that he hadn't seen it yet.

"That doesn't mean-"

"Sally." Jack tightened his grip slightly. "Think about it. Who do you think helped her get in there in the first place? None of the children in town can get past their security. In fact, most citizens can't."

Sally's looked towards the treehouse. "I was right!" she said quietly, then looked at Jack again. "We _have_ to get in there, Jack. If they've had her for this long-!"

"Sally, I know;" Jack said soothingly, "That's why I'm here. I'm going to go and give them a lecture they won't soon forget, _and_ bring Lenora back."

"And I'm coming with you!" Sally stated, and started walking determinedly towards the treehouse.

"Sally, wait-" Jack protested as he caught up with her, Zero following, and kept pace beside her; "No, Sally, we really don't need to have both of us in there, I can handle the kids on my own."

She glanced at him as they continued walking. "Do you think I doubt your abilities, Jack?"

"No! No, of course not. At least, I _hope_ not." Jack implored.

Sally stopped, as did Jack, and she looked straight him. "Do you doubt _my_ abilities?" She continued.

"Er, no!" Jack countered, "No I really don't doubt that you could scare those little monsters into submission right now. But," he said, raising a bony finger, "I do know that if one of us stays out here, it's less likely they'll be able to escape." Zero waited patiently in front of them.

"…Fine;" Sally said, turning back to the treehouse, "I'll go in and you can watch for escapees."

"No!" Jack entreated hastily as he stepped in front of her path, "No, that's not quite what I had in mind, dear."

Sally stopped and waited crossly for him to continue. Jack grimaced a little; Sally was certainly no longer as shy as she used to be. He had no doubt being a mother had a lot to do with that. She was still sweet and caring, but this maternal indignation was a new thing he was still getting used to.

"Look, Sally, I know that you're… I mean, I know that you can…" he kept starting and not completely formulating his sentences before trailing off. After a few tries, he sighed. "Please, Sally." He sighed, "You remember what happened last time you were in there?"

Sally paused, remembering her near-death experience. And his. "…Yes. But… Oogie Boogie's gone now."

"I know, but…" He looked at her worriedly; some of the fire had left her eyes, replaced with anxiety. He reached out and stroked her face gently with his skeletal fingers. "I don't want to have to worry about losing you again." Her face softened. "Both you and Lenora would be in there if you went in. I want to be able to focus on keeping just one of you safe."

She felt a small pang as she realized that considered her a liability. "Oh Jack…" Sally said as she reached up and held his hand against her face lovingly. "You know… that I believe in you. I just…" She swallowed; "I just can't stand that they have had Lenora this whole time, and-" And she wanted to prove that she was strong enough to help him, to care for a child.

"Sally," Jack countered, "if you're out here, it will make it easier to help Lenora." Sally quieted, silently asking how. "I can free her and take her out a window. Once she sees you, she'll be able to glide away from the treehouse, and I can talk to the kids without scaring Lenora even more."

Sally looked up at her love, and then away in thought.

"…You know how flighty she is around me still." He added.

Sally remained quiet a few moments more, and then sighed. "Yes… I suppose that does sound like the most _reasonable_ course of action." She said, slightly mocking as she looked back at him.

Jack smiled and embraced her. She returned it, and they parted. "Although," he said, "if one of them happens to run outside into your clutches, they're all yours."

Sally felt some hope that he didn't believe her completely useless, and smiled warmly. "Thank you, Jack. Now, hurry and go get our little girl!"

Jack needed no further ushering as he quietly went to the treehouse.

* * *

"…Do you think that Lenora was found by La Llorona?" Barrel eventually asked.

"I don't know…" Lock drew out warily; "We couldn't find her, but that doesn't mean she didn't find some tree to go hide in or something. She has wings, you know."

"I know that, stupid!" Barrel stuck his tongue out at Lock.

"That doesn't matter." Shock said, interrupting the fight before it started, "We're going to have to tell Oogie _something_, though."

"Psh! Right! Have fun with that!" Lock sneered; "Let me know what to do with your bones!"

"I _said_ 'we', numbskull!" Shock retorted; "I'm not going down there by myself!"

"Well _I'm_ not going to!" Lock shot back.

"_Look_," Shock continued, "we have to tell Oogie _something_. We don't have to tell him that she 'got away'. We could just say that… she was outside, and La Llorona happened to come out…"

Realization spread across their faces. "Oooh! And we could say that Mimipede let her out!" Barrel added excitedly.

Lock grinned. "Yes, we can! That would put that overgrown bug in an even deeper pit!"

"Because the precious child of the Pumpkin King has been lost to the woods forever!" Shock said in mock-despair, then giggled. "Perfect! Now, who's going to go down and tell him?"

There was silence.

"Oh come on, you sissies!" Shock snapped at the boys, "We just got the perfect plan so that it's not our fault!"

"Yeah, but we still gotta tell him she's gone!" Barrel whined uneasily.

"I like my flesh on my bones." Lock complained.

"Well, we gotta do it at some point!" Shock scolded them.

"We could wait until midnight." Barrel pointed out.

"That's only a little ways away." Shock countered irately.

"Hey, it's _something_!" Lock shot her word back at her with arm movements.

"Let's just tell him now so we don't forget the plan!" Shock argued.

"What plan?" Barrel asked.

"To blame _Mimipede_." Shock said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, right." Barrel nodded; "Lock, why don't you do that?"

"What? Why me!?"

"Because you hate his guts."

"So do you!"

"Yeah, but I don't go around imitating him so well." Barrel attempted to make fake fangs out of his hands and crossed his eyes, but Shock's laughter at the scene soon stopped him. "See, I told you."

"Fine!" Lock said; "Come on Shock, let's go tell him."

"What?!" Shock screeched; "Why get me involved? We decided you would do it!"

"I'm not going down by myself!"

"Hey, I said that!"

"And now _I'm_ saying it!"

They glared at each other, and then Shock barked out, "Barrel!"

"What?"

"Get over here; you're coming too."

"Whaaaaat?" Barrel whined.

"We might as well all go tell him." She growled.

"Tell whom?" a deep voice echoed from the shadows.

Totally caught off guard, the trio jumped together. Then they put their backs together and faced out, trying to find the source of the voice. They didn't have long to wait, as Jack stepped out into the moonlight. He had a penetrating look on his skull. "Hmm?"

The trick-or-treaters stared, frozen by fear. Then, they split up and fled to hide in the shadows from the Pumpkin King. Unfortunately, that was not the best plan, for even though there were three bodies fleeing, Jack was accustomed to the shadows himself. He reached out and snatched one of the kids by their arm.

"HEY!" Barrel shouted, "Let me go!"

"Who are you going to go talk to?" Jack questioned seriously. Barrel continued struggling. "Well?" Jack asked, bringing him closer to his face. Barrel stopped squirming as he stared into Jack's eye sockets.

"Let him go!" Shock called from the shadows, and she threw a knife out at Jack. Jack dodged it, still holding on to Barrel despite his new attempts to squirm free.

"Hey, watch it!" Barrel shouted at Shock.

Jack changed tactics; "Where is Lenora?"

"W-what?" Barrel stammered.

"We don't have her!" Lock sneered from somewhere behind Jack. Jack turned without letting go of Barrel, but didn't see Lock.

"I know you're lying." Jack continued, speaking to all of them; "You put her in the Witches' Shop to blame her for the accident, didn't you?"

"NO, we didn't!" Shock retorted, "She showed up by herself!" She gasped as she realized what she'd let slip, and Jack could hear her and Lock whispering irately at each other.

Jack didn't know what that meant, but he didn't really care at the moment. He started taking slow steps towards where the fighting was coming from. "Look," he said, "just tell me where she is, and you won't have to worry so much."

"We don't have her!" Barrel insisted, struggling against Jack's grip again.

"Then who were you going to go talk to?" Jack didn't know the connection, but obviously it was a point of contention among them right now. If he could make them nervous enough, they might talk. Jack stared down the fake skeleton boy, just waiting for him to break. He could see small cracks already – Barrel's breathing was rapid and his eyes darted as he tried to avoid Jack's gaze.

"Uuuh….uhhmm… umma…." Barrel muttered incoherently, trying to refrain from saying anything but not quite succeeding. "Mmooo…ooo….uhh…"

"Mimipede!" Shock spurted from the darkness. She was consequently shoved into the moonlight, but only taking a second to glare back into the shadows, she continued; "It was Mimipede who made us do it!"

Jack frowned, puzzled. "Who?"

"Yeah, Mimipede dropped the girl off in there and told us we had to keep her inside!" Lock joined in, staying in the shadows.

"He threatened us if we didn't do it!" Barrel added, recovering quickly now that Jack's gaze had shifted.

"Who is Mimipede?" Jack insisted.

A window burst open and more moonlight flooded the floor as a long body skittered into the room. A large, fanged head glared into the shadows, not yet seeing Jack. "WHAT have you three miserable creatures done now?!" it hissed angrily.

"_HIM_!" Shock shouted, pointing; "That's Mimipede!"

"_He_ told us to do it!" Lock accused, joining Shock in the moonlight.

Jack stared at Mimipede, who now looked at Jack in astonishment. "What?" Mimipede said softly, not really asking.

"Where is Lenora?" Jack now directed his demand at Mimipede.

Mimipede had never encountered the Pumpkin King, really. Especially when he was serious; Jack was very intimidating. It also didn't take long for Mimipede to guess what the kids had told him. Mimipede muttered a soft expletive and was scurrying back out the window quicker than Jack could figure his plan.

Jack immediately let go of Barrel and bounded after the large insect. He managed to grab onto Mimipede's large tail barb as he exited the window. Mimipede noticed, however, and swung his rear end around so that Jack's hand slipped off. However, Jack was now up on the roof, and landed on his feet. "Where is she?!" Jack repeated, staring at the new creature before him. Mimipede ignored him and began skittering off again. Jack chased Mimipede across the roofs and branches, while Zero barked and tried to help. Mimipede ignored the little ghost dog, and slipped into another window that had been left open. Jack quickly followed, not noticing a bandage stuck on one of the tree limbs nearby, and ordered, "Zero, stay outside!" Zero obeyed, although he whined as he sniffed the bandage.

The moonlight lit a good portion of the hallway, but there were still shadows about. Jack peered into them, trying to distinguish the exoskeleton of Mimipede from the dilapidated wood. However, he was having no luck. So, he quickly snuck with the shadows himself and began looking in rooms.

Mimipede had avoided Jack; for now. Soon Jack would enter the room he was hiding in, though, and who knew what the top scarer of Halloweentown would do then. Mimipede had observed Jack being genial and friendly to the citizens, scaring only occasionally and in spurs of good show. This serious Jack was a worry to him. If those insolent brats had any sense in them, they would tie Lenora up somewhere and take her down to Oogie. Wait, he thought frustratedly, that probably _would_ be what they'd do – but Mimipede needed her alive and within his grasp! Maybe if he hurried, she still would be…

He waited while Jack passed into a different room, and then quickly exited as quietly as he could. However, Zero was there and started barking immediately. Jack heard him and started after Mimipede. Mimipede whipped around all the corners he could think of, not looking back to see if he was being followed, and made a few circuits on some of the roofs before finally going down into the basement. Once inside, Mimipede waited to see if Jack had followed. When nothing happened, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well hellooooo Mim," Oogie began cheerfully, using his shortened name for Mimipede; "And what exactly are you doing scuttering around so much, hmm?"

"I know this sounds crazy, Oogie," Mimipede began, "but first of all, those stupid little brats brought Jack here-"

"_WHA-_?!" Oogie started bellowing, but was silenced by Mimipede putting a leg over his mouth.

"Ssshhh! He's looking around upstairs for Lenora! Now, where is she? The girl? I'm sure they've told you about her by now, too."

Oogie glowered at Mimipede. "Yes, indeed they have."

Mimipede looked confusedly at Oogie for a moment, before realizing that the trick-or-treaters had turned Oogie on him too. "Oh for the love of-" Mimipede rolled his eyes before drumming his legs irately and launching into another save of face. "Ok, I know that I should have told you about her earlier, but I was saving it for when you were actually ready to face Jack, because I knew that you would want to get revenge as soon as possible!"

"Go on…" Oogie said ominously, juggling some dice in one somewhat-deflated hand.

"So I kept the girl upstairs and didn't tell you because you have been so close to being fully prepared, and having Jack show up before you were ready would ruin the revenge for you, because you couldn't do it at your full strength."

"Seems like he's here anyway, though, isn't he?" Oogie continued.

"Yes, well, that was _not_ part of the plan!" Mimipede insisted through his fangs.

"And just _when_ were you plannin' on informing me of this '_plan'_?" Oogie intoned, leaning closer to the large insect.

"When the time was right." Mimipede maintained; "Now where is the girl?" Mimipede looked around, and was worried to see no one else in the chamber; neither Lenora nor the traitorous children were around.

"Well let's see;" Oogie said, "I can't say that I know. Because I wasn't part of the 'plan' to keep her here!"

"Look, I'm sorry;" Mimipede urged, getting more worried and continuing to look around, "it was a mistake not to tell you! You've made mistakes too! Now let's make the best of this one and tell me where she is!"

Oogie pursed his lips. "You know, I don't like that tone of voice you're takin' with me."

"I mimic a lot of tones!" Mimipede hissed frustratedly, as he physically searched the area, "It's what I do!"

"Yes… It is." Oogie muttered, more to himself. Then, an idea came to him. "Mimipede," Oogie said pleasantly, "why don't you come over here for a minute."

"You know where she is?" Mimipede asked agitatedly as he swiftly came to Oogie's side. Usually he would be more suspicious, but current circumstances plagued his mind more.

"No," Oogie said slowly, "but neither does Jack."

"Yeah, well that won't be the case for too long." Mimipede pressed; "He's searching the entire place!"

"Which is why _you_ are going to pretend to be that kid. Lure him down here, Mim."

Mimipede's face grew confused briefly; "But why? You aren't…" Mimipede then realized that if Jack came against Oogie now, Jack would most certainly win. And that would be one less creature in the way.

"I know that you think I'm 'not quite ready' to handle Jack," Oogie reassured Mimipede, "but I've grown smarter since our last encounter. Getting killed does that to ya, you know. HA!" He laughed as he playfully punched Mimipede.

Mimipede smiled as he went along with it; "Haha, of course you have, Oogie."

"Now, before you skedaddle and bring him down here, there's more." Oogie said, putting arm around Mimipede; "I have a place for you to hide and pretend you're the bird gal where Jack won't see you! All you gotta do is use that crazy voice of yours and whimper like a scared little girl. Piece of cake, right?"

Mimipede nodded. "Of course. And then we can find Lenora." Oogie was silent for a moment. "So that you can get revenge on Sally, too, of course." Mimipede added.

"Mmmm;" Oogie mused, "I like the way you think, Mim. Now, over here," he continued, gesturing to a metal door, "is where you will hide once Jack gets here. I'll shut the door, and you just have to sit back and cry your eyes out."

Mimipede narrowed his eyes at the door. "But that's where the acid gets dumped."

"Mimipede!" Oogie pulled back dramatically, "Do you think that I would jeopardize our friendship like that? Yes, that is the room, but it hasn't been used in ages!"

"Just last week." Mimipede stated.

"Exactly!" Oogie said, "You know I leave that kind of stuff to you and the kids. Now, there aren't exactly a lot of places to go, as I'll be hiding behind _these_ doors, but if you _want_ to hide in my lovely Iron Maiden, you can be my guest."

Mimipede sneered at the thought; "No; the room will work."

"Gooood." Oogie chuckled; "I'll go hide now, and _you_ can go fetch our lucky bonehead." He laughed as he walked back behind his double dice doors, and shut them.

Mimipede was not particularly fond of the plan, but as he heard movement upstairs, he realized there wasn't much other choice. Besides, while Oogie and Jack were preoccupied with each other, Mimipede could sneak out and find Lenora himself; as long as the brats hadn't done anything rash with her…

* * *

"C'mon, hurry up!" Lock was ushering as they made their way to the armory; "Let's get outta here!" Shock and Barrel were right beside him, when suddenly, two long arms shot out of the darkness and grabbed Lock and Barrel. Both of them gave a yell and struggled, but it was of no use. Jack stepped out and held them in place sternly. Shock put on a burst of speed, but tripped when she glanced backwards. She scrambled to get back up, but Jack's voice kept her from running again.

"Where are you hiding her?" Jack demanded.

The trio trembled as he glared at them.

"W-we told you that Mimipede made us do it!" Lock whined.

"And he obviously had you three hide her!" Jack continued, "Now where is she?"

"W-we don't know!" Barrel whimpered.

Jack realized that his intimidation technique was good for getting the trick-or-treaters' attention, but actually gathering information could be a bit difficult. So he toned down his glare a little, but didn't let up on his grip; he knew they would take any chance to escape. "Look, I know that you three don't always listen to just one set of instructions; the important thing right now is that I find where Lenora is, and get her back. _Understand_?" All three nodded their heads quickly. "Good. Now, where are you keeping her?"

"W-we don't keep her anywhere!" Barrel stammered.

Shock continued, "We just make sure she stays inside the treehouse."

"Which closet? Or a room?" Jack pressed.

"None!" Lock interjected, "She just stays inside! We don't do anything to her; we even help her with bandages!" The other two quickly voiced their agreement.

"Why would she need bandages?" Jack intoned darkly, more suspicious.

"It's not us!" Lock quickly cried, "She's just stupid clumsy!"

"Yeah, really clumsy!"

"She's always running into things and knocking things over!"

Jack lowered intensity a little again; they certainly seemed to be describing Lenora… but would they really have let her around lose? And if so, why hadn't he found her yet? A thought occurred to him: maybe she was still scared enough of him to hide from him, even though he was rescuing her…

"Hello?"

All of them perked up at the soft word. It came from around the corner behind them, with a slight echo. They were all silent, and then it repeated.

"Hellooo?"

Jack immediately let go of Lock and Barrel, and turned to go investigate. Though they were free, the boys didn't move. They looked at each other and Shock in disbelief; that sounded like Lenora! But… she wouldn't have come back, would she? Tentatively, Shock stepped towards the sound as well; that was all it took for curiosity to overcome fear and all three went after Jack.

Jack was in a hallway now, and called out, "Lenora? Are you there?"

"Hello?"

Jack followed it into a room with a pipe in it. "Lenora!" But she wasn't in there.

"Jack?"

Jack turned and saw that the voice was coming from the pipe. "Lenora, are you down there?"

"J-Jack!" That definitely sounded like Lenora; "Where are you?"

"I'm up here, Lenora!" Jack called down the pipe, relieved to have finally found her.

"Jack, I'm s-scared!"

"Don't worry, I'm coming!" Jack called as he lifted himself into the pipe and slid down; it was easily large enough to fit him.

Boogie's Boys got into the room just as Jack's coattails went down the chute. Their faces widened with horror as they realized who he would find down there. Then, they wondered if they should stick around and listen. Thinking about it, they wondered briefly why Lenora would be down there, but then realized that although they knew the sound of Lenora's voice, they also knew that she would never go down there by choice. They _also_ knew of someone who was very good at mimicking voices. They looked at each other, connecting the dots.

"…That was probably Mimipede." Shock said.

"…Pretending to be Lenora." Barrel added.

"To lure Jack down to the basement." Lock concluded.

"But… why?" Shock wondered.

"…Who cares?" Lock suddenly retorted; "_We_ can escape while _they're_ busy!"

The other two took a look at the pipe, and then quickly exited the room.

As he slid, Jack thought about how relieved Sally would feel if already _he_ felt this good. He hadn't anticipated Lenora making him worry so much about her, but… the girl had a way of working into a creature's heart; like a heartworm, he thought. No one had invited her, but she was there, nevertheless. She was also about as helpless as one, though, and Jack knew he had to help her escape from this place.

Jack landed in Oogie's old lair on his feet, although the trip had been a bit windier than he anticipated. He only wobbled a little bit after landing, though, and quickly looked around for Lenora. However, what he saw was Mimipede's rear end skittering behind a metal door. Angrily, Jack rushed over, but the door closed with a clang before he could get to it. "Mimipede!" Jack yelled at the door, "_Where_ is Lenora?"

"J-Jack!" Lenora's slightly-muted voice came from the other side of the door.

"Lenora!" Jack exclaimed, then changed his tone to be more intimidating again; "Mimipede, if you don't let her out, I'll-"

"You'll _what_ boneman?"

Jack froze at the deep voice coming from some open doors on the wall nearby. The shadows were too deep to see inside, but he knew that voice. "…Oogie?"

"In the flesh!" The Boogie Man thundered as he stepped out from the darkness, his mostly-filled sac body still folding a bit wildly with his movements. "Well, mostly." He continued; "I can't say the same for you, of course, but you never really were 'all there', huh?" He chuckled as Jack clenched his fist. Oogie watched his skull darken with pleasure; "Surprised, Jack? You _did_ realize that I am the shadow on the moon at night; did you really think you could get rid of me _that_ easily?"

Jack's mind was racing with possibilities as to how Oogie Boogie had returned, but he tried to set those aside and focus on the fact that Oogie _was_ back, and being a problem. Again. "And what did I tell you about treating my friends last time?" Jack shot back, trying to catch the Boogie Man off guard.

Unfortunately, it didn't work. "Ooooh, I think that this gal is a bit more than a 'friend' of yours, Jack. Isn't she the kid of that ragdoll?" Oogie couldn't help grinning.

Jack's eye sockets narrowed. "What do you want with her?" Jack demanded.

"Me?" Oogie questioned innocently, gesturing widely; "I don't want a thing with her. The question is, Jack, what do _you_ want with her?"

"Quit playing games, Oogie!" Jack said, striding forward.

"Stop!" Oogie ordered, holding one hand out towards Jack in a halting motion, and putting his other around a lever, "Unless you want your little girl to get a bath in _acid_."

Jack stopped as soon as he heard the words.

"Now, I think a game sounds like a _lovely_ idea, don't you?" Oogie continued pleasantly. "I'll even let you roll first. Go on;" Oogie said, gesturing to a skull table with red dice on it; "take a gamble."

"What for? You rig all your games anyway." Jack glowered at Oogie, not making any moves.

"Jack?" Lenora's voice came again; "I-I'm scared!"

Jack's face looked back at the metal door, dismayed for a moment. Oogie held his grip on the lever. Jack scowled as he turned back and looked at Oogie. "Fine; but if I win, you let Lenora go."

Oogie laughed. "Sure thing, Jack!" Oogie spat before continuing his laughter.

Jack stalked over to the table with the dice and picked them up, glaring at Oogie as he shook them and dropped them on the table.

* * *

"Move over!"

"You move over!"

"OW! Hey, watch it!"

"Move your stupid tail, Lock!"

The trick-or-treaters squabbled as they left the treehouse in their bathtub. They were too busy arguing to notice that Zero was following them. He had continued to follow Jack's orders to stay outside, and had noticed the trio escaping in their tub. A figure was now approaching their not-so-swift means of escape, and Zero barked happily at the sight. They all paused to look at Zero.

"_You_ three!" Sally shouted as she strode over to the tub.

That tone of voice got all their attention. They lifted their masks and looked over, but they were surprised to see who it was coming from.

"…Sally?" Barrel asked in general, confused; "…I didn't know she could look so angry!"

"Well she is now!" Shock retorted as she went to the tub's turning mechanism, urging it faster; "Let's get moving before she-"

"Before she what?" Lock sneered; "Without Jack, she's-"

"What have you done with Lenora?!" Sally demanded as she broke into a run to reach them before they could get their tub going faster.

Lock's eyes widened. He pulled his mask back down as he slid down under the lip of the tub; "What're you waiting for?! _Let's go_!"

"Barrel, quit moving!" Shock snapped as Barrel wobbled while holding her up to reach the tub's back.

"It's hard!" Barrel whined as he tried keeping his balance on the floor of the tub, and failed. He slipped, and Shock fell on top of him. "Ooff!"

"Now look what you did, dummy!" Shock railed as she hit Barrel with her mask.

Zero barked at all the commotion in the tub, and Sally's energy at getting over. Lock attempted to climb on top of both of them while they were arguing to reach it himself.

"Watch it!" Shock barked as she reflexively swiped at Lock's leg. She hit, and he fell down on top of both of them. Shouts of protest accompanied the entire thing.

Suddenly, a pair of hands gripped the tub along the side rim, and Sally's head came into view as she tried holding the tub back. "Stop this thing now!" She ordered, "Or-"

"Run away!" The trick-or-treaters stopped their fighting and tried climbing on top of one another to get out. However, they each unwittingly kept pulling each other back down in their desperation to escape.

Letting out a frustrated sound, Sally used one arm to reach over and try to prevent any of them from escaping. She did get a hold of Barrel's leg, but the extra movement proved too much. As her weight pitched forward in the effort, her balance on the ground was lost and she went tumbling into the tub with the trio!

Some screams, barking, exclamations, and protests later, Sally was sitting on one end of the tub, and the trio were scrunched together on the other end, with one of Sally's arms detached and now clenching Lock's ear. Zero was floating above the tub's mechanism. The tub had stopped. Though there was no space between them, no one moved; Sally had them all pinned with a serious look. The looks Jack gave them were frightening, and scary, and that was all they were meant to be. _This_ look demanded attention, and warranted _no_ excuses.

"_What_ have you done with Lenora?" Sally finally intoned.

"W-we didn't do anything!" Lock griped. The pressure on his ear increased. "Oooww ow! Honest! Really!"

"Then where is she?" Sally continued, "Where are you going?"

"I-it's Jack!" Shock uttered, "He needs help! We're getting help!"

"Really." Sally retorted, unimpressed.

"Oogie's back!" Barrel blurted.

Sally's expression immediately changed; "What?" she said in astonishment. Her arm's grip on Lock's ear loosened.

"It's true!" Lock quickly continued, "Oogie's back and he's got Jack!"

"You're lying." Sally said, although her tone was wavering; "Jack _destroyed_-"

"Not all of him!" Shock divulged quickly, "A bug survived and we've been helping him get more bugs to come back!"

Sally frowned, and her grip on Lock resumed. "If that's true, then why would you suddenly decide to help Jack?"

"W-we did last time!" Lock replied.

"Yeah! Oogie didn't win even when he was completely full last time!" Barrel continued.

"And he's not all the way full this time!" Shock said.

"But he has someone helping him, too!" Barrel said.

Sally narrowed her eyes. "Who would possibly want to help Oogie?"

"Mimipede!" All three of them exclaimed together.

Sally was confused again, and let it show. "…Who?"

She was immediately bombarded with complaints.

"He's a big stupid bug-"

"He never listens to anything-"

"He's a jerk-face who can sound like-"

"…And he's got huge fangs that look-"

"…He's _always_ buddying up to Oogie-"

Sally closed her eyes briefly before motioning for them to stop. "Alright, I get it! Enough! He works for Oogie. Don't you three do the same?"

They all looked at each other for a moment in silence.

"Well…"

"Sort-of…"

"It's not the same…"

Sally gave a sigh as she put her face in her hand, and then looked back up at the trio. "Just… tell me, where is Lenora?"

There was more silence.

Sally grew angry again. "Look, are you three going to help, or-!"

"We're _trying_ to!" Shock interrupted, "We need to get Jack some help!"

Sally looked worriedly at the treehouse. They were avoiding anything regarding Lenora, but if Jack was in there with Oogie… Sally hated thinking that Jack would have to face Oogie and this Mimipede character alone. Besides, there was a high chance that was where Lenora was, too.

Sally looked back at the three children with a determined face. "Well, if you're looking for help, you found it. Now turn this thing around and take us back there!"

The trick-or-treaters looked at each other, and then back at Sally.

"You?" Lock asked doubtfully.

Sally pursed her lips, asking why he needed clarification.

"But what can _you_ do?" Lock sneered. Sally's lose arm twisted on Lock's ear, daring him to ask again, and he cringed. "OWowowow _sorry_!"

"I helped Jack last time," Sally said to them all, "I can do it again."

"Yeah, but last time you helped by getting captured!" Shock pointed out, hiding her ears from Sally's grasp.

"I helped _after_ getting loose, you know." Sally said reproachfully.

"But we had to help last time!" Barrel said.

"Then you can help again." Sally said, "Now start by taking us back. _Now_."

"Do it!" Lock muttered hurriedly, waving his arms towards the treehouse and trying to get Sally's arm off of his ear; "Do it!"

Shock and Barrel looked at each other before helping each other finally reach the tub mechanism. They worked it, and the tub turned around, heading back to the treehouse.

* * *

"9! Ooooo, things don't seem to be stackin' up too well for you, Jack; _or_ your little girl!" Oogie laughed as he tossed the dice at Jack. "Your turn! Don't go blowin' it now, Mr. Pumpkin King."

Jack caught the dice, and stared at them angrily, as if it were their fault all this was happening. A small snake that lived in one of the dice cowered inside its home at the sight. Jack clenched his hand and shook the dice as he thought about what he could do. He looked around as he continued shaking, and thinking…

"Come _on_, Jack!" Oogie complained, although he was smiling as he said it, "Your kid doesn't have all day."

"Her name is Lenora." Jack intoned irately, and noticed that the flooring near Oogie wasn't all that close together. In fact, it looked rather broken. Suppressing a smirk as he formulated a plan, Jack attempted to do a trick throw like some of the ones Oogie had done, throwing the dice from around his back towards Oogie.

Oogie laughed at him as the dice rolled. "Really? You're going to try that stuff _now_?" As he continued laughing, the dice rolled in-between some boards and down a crack.

"Well, now _that's_ a problem." Jack said, frowning; "Your dice have a mind of their own, it seems."

Oogie stopped laughing and glared at Jack. "Now look what you've done! Are you _trying_ to kill little Lenora?" He got ready to throw the lever; "Because that's where-"

"No! Wait!" Jack protested earnestly; "I can get them back! I have long arms, after all. Don't you want to finish the game first?"

Oogie watched him warily. "…We both know how this is gonna end, Jack."

"Not yet;" Jack insisted, "There' still hope."

Oogie thought as he heard that word, about how Jack still believed he could win. He thought about seeing that word fall to pieces on Jack's face, as Jack's own rolls of the dice brought about the demise of his little girl. Oogie smiled. "Alright, bone man. Get the dice and roll again."

Jack warily approached Oogie, until he got to the place where the dice fell through. The lever was still out of his reach, but he was much closer. He stuck his hand down the crack and started feeling around. Jack felt a number of things he was pretty sure he didn't want to know the identity of, but soon enough he also felt some wires. He also felt the dice nearby. Smiling, he grabbed wires with the dice and started pulling. However, the wires were not giving way as easily as he had hoped.

Oogie's waited impatiently as Jack struggled to lift his arm out of the crack. "What's the matter Jack? Can't even keep a hold of some dice?"

"No, I got them…" Jack said as he continued pulling, "They're just… stuck…!" Suddenly, Jack's arm came flying out of the crack with a handful of wires. The dice flew to the side, coming out with the wire. "Well! I think I found the problem." Jack said as he looked at Oogie with a smile that quickly turned darker.

"_What_?!" Oogie exclaimed, then glared at Jack; "Wrong move, Jack! Say bye-bye to Lenora's remains!" Then he threw the switch.

Jack's smile disappeared as he heard a low grating sound coming from the other side of the metal door. He must have grabbed the wrong wires! He quickly reached back down into the crack, but a yell from inside the door made both of them pause. It did not sound like Lenora. Then, Oogie focused again. "_That's_ not how you play the game, Jack!" and Oogie jumped at him. Jack quickly retracted his arm and dodged Oogie's attack, and then leapt around and pulled the lever back.

There were swift, skittering sounds from behind the door as the grating sound came to a stop, followed by an exclamation. "_What_ are you playing at, Oogie?!" Mimipede shouted from behind the door, ferocity dripping from his voice, which Jack had trouble recognizing as Mimipede's at all.

"You started the game, Mim." Oogie threw out, but that was all the attention he spared for Mimipede. He glowered at Jack again. "You're not going to get to her; the door's locked from this side, and only _I_ know the right lever!" He laughed at the frustration evident on the Pumpkin King's skull.

"It's the green one beside those open doors, Jack!" Mimipede called out.

Jack looked to the wall behind him, and saw a number of switches and levers.

"Nobody asked _you_!" Oogie boomed as he started running to the wall. Unfortunately, Jack had a head start, and Oogie could see it. So, Oogie veered in his course and purposefully smashed a button. Then he threw himself down as arrows shot out from all over the place. Jack was caught off guard, and almost got hit by a few of them. Jack dived to the side to avoid more arrows, and then the barrage stopped. Oogie was up again, for his currently smaller bulk made it easier than normal, and he was rushing towards the controls. Jack frowned determinedly and jumped up after him.

Despite the delay, Jack still managed to get there first, and hurriedly pushed the green lever. There was a heavy clicking sound as the metal door unlocked, swinging outward just a little bit. Oogie shoved Jack out of the way and pulled the lever back, trying to lock it again, but the lock mechanism was out of alignment now and wouldn't go. Oogie tried pulling it harder, repeatedly, but the lever couldn't go all the way. Jack was already on his way over to the door, when Oogie pulled on the lever hard enough to get it stuck. Jack reached the door, but it wasn't even open enough for him to fit his skeletal fingers between the door and is frame.

"Mimipede!" Jack called, "You have to push on the door!" He knew that Lenora wouldn't have the strength, or probably enough wits about her to do anything; if she were still conscious…

"I _am_ pushing!" Mimipede barked from just the other side of the door; "Help me get out!"

"I'm trying!" Jack responded as he searched for hand-grips; "Get Lenora and push on the door!"

Oogie was now stalking towards Jack with a rather livid expression. "Get back here!" He yelled; he had something in his hand, but Jack wasn't going to stick around to find out what.

Jack felt the door move the slightest bit, and finally managed to get his fingers in the doorway. He pulled heartily, and the door screeched in protest as its locks scraped against the frame and floor. The door moved a good inch, and then Jack gave another pull. He felt Mimipede throw himself against the door, and finally it opened about a foot. Mimipede's long, armored body shot out and skittered away. Jack desperately looked for any sign of Lenora, but not a fleck of white was to be seen.

A large ball with spikes bounced off the metal near his head before Jack could investigate further. He quickly drew backwards and saw Oogie wielding a mace. "Hold still, ya pile of bones!" He ordered as he lifted the mace for another swing. "You've played into overtime, and now these dice will find _you_!"

Jack jumped to the side and yelled angrily, "_Mimipede_! Where is Lenora?!"

Neither Jack nor Oogie saw that Mimipede had only managed to crawl into one of the casino-esque doorways and was sitting very still inside the dark space. It didn't lead anywhere, but it was hidden. Mimipede bared his teeth in anger as he thought about all Oogie had taken advantage of him for, and then replied; "Lenora's not here, Jack."

"_What_?" Jack demanded incredulously, taken aback. He dodged another attack; "But I _heard_ her in there!"

"_Shut up_ if you know what's good for you, Mim!" Oogie yelled as he advanced on Jack.

"You just tried to _kill_ me, you over-stuffed garbage sack!" Mimipede snapped, then continued; "_I_ sounded like her, Jack." He then changed to Lenora's voice; "I can mimic voices."

Jack quickly turned at the sound of her voice, but remembered where he was and barely dodged another attack. "Quit makin' small talk while I'm trying to kill you!" Oogie commanded.

Jack glared at Oogie. "Would you rather I do this?" He lunged at Oogie and smashed a hand into Oogie's side. It didn't make much of a dent, but Jack then squeezed his fist into Oogie's bulk, squishing a number of bugs inside.

"_Heey_!" Oogie pulled away and lowered his mace, but he just used that new position to swing sideways at Jack as he yelled. "Raaahh!"

Jack jumped out of Oogie's reach, and turned back to where he'd heard Lenora's voice. "Lenora! Don't let him scare you into saying what he wants!"

Mimipede growled in his hole; that idiot wouldn't believe him! He grimaced as he started feeling more pain; when the door had opened briefly, some acid had poured in. He hadn't entirely dodged it. He focused his thoughts on Jack again, and changed into using Sally's voice. "I told you I can mimic voices, Jack."

Jack nearly fell over when he heard Sally's voice. "Sally?!" Distracted, Jack didn't see Oogie swing out again, and was hit from the side. He was tossed from the force of the blow.

Oogie chuckled. "Let's see how well you survive being pounded into dust _again_, shall we? I'll make sure to do it right this time."

Mimipede felt a wave of pain come over him, and to counteract it changed his voice one last time. "What, do I have to impersonate even _you_ to make you believe me?" He shouted in Jack's voice.

Oogie gave pause at that, for he hadn't heard Mimipede impersonate Jack before and was caught off guard. That gave Jack enough time to recover and get out of the way as Oogie swung again. While Jack hadn't anticipated Mimipede's talent, he had heard enough now to believe his words. "If she's not here, where _is_ Lenora?" Jack called out.

There was silence. "_Mimipede_!" Jack yelled, "Answer me!"

"Haven't ya'll talked _enough_?" Oogie retorted as he swung out an arm at Jack. However, it didn't have the mace in it. Jack ducked, but instead found himself showered with a number of skeletal-looking insects. Oogie laughed, and the bugs laughed with him, as Jack danced around trying to get the creatures off of him and out of his suit. Oogie began his onslaught with the mace again, and Jack had to dodge that as well.

Suddenly, as Jack jabbed out with an arm to fling a spider off of himself, he jabbed into a button on the wall. The wall beside where Oogie was shot out on a spring, shoving the sack of bugs off to the side. Jack looked behind him as he continued getting bugs off himself, and saw that he had returned to the control area. There were a plethora of buttons and levers to work with. Jack hadn't the slightest idea what any of them did, but he knew how to find out.

* * *

Lock, Shock, and Barrel had brought Sally and Zero to a small window that looked down into the basement, and they found Jack pressing buttons and things while Oogie tried to avoid the results. Admittedly, not all of the things actually happened in Oogie's vicinity, but enough happened to keep him from getting much closer to Jack. Sally's face lit up as the tide seemed to be in Jack's favor, and her still-detached arm clenched in excitement.

"Where is Lenora, Oogie?" Jack demanded.

Oogie ignored his questioning, and focused on getting nearer to Jack. However, Jack seemed preoccupied as well; he often was trying to get bugs off of himself, which distracted him from pressing more levers and buttons. Oogie started making his way closer to Jack, and although he looked much the worse for wear, he was gaining ground.

As she watched, Sally looked around worriedly. "Oooh, isn't there something we can do?" she asked the trick-or-treaters.

"_We_?" Shock repeated in surprise.

"_You're_ the one who said you wanted to help!" Barrel said.

"So did you three!" Sally hissed at them.

"We got you in here, didn't we?" Lock replied snidely.

"We thought _you_ had a plan!" Shock continued.

Sally frowned at them, and then looked back at the situation; Oogie was closer to Jack. "Fine! Give me something to throw at him!"

"_What_?" all three chorused together.

Time was pressing. "_Oh_, nevermind!" She lifted her own detached arm, which obediently straightened itself like a javelin, and she hurled it into the air at Oogie. It made a fist, and landed on his head.

Oogie hunched his shoulders from the surprise of the throw, and ducked in anticipation of attacks from somewhere in his lair. However, he saw Sally's arm on the ground as it crawled away, and he looked back in surprise and anger. "_What_?!" He exclaimed as he saw Sally.

"Where is she?!" Sally ordered, the severity of her voice surprising even her. She glanced to her sides, and the trick-or-treaters had gone into hiding. She should have expected that. She didn't care, though.

Jack pressed another button, and a long metal tube came out and pointed in Oogie's general direction. Oogie's face collapsed in horror as he turned back, and he jumped to get out of the way as flames shot from the weapon. But as Oogie landed, one of his legs was on fire.

"Gah!" Oogie cried, "Put it out! Put it out!" He cried as he batted at the flames. Unfortunately, the fire just spread to his arms. Oogie gasped. "I-I'll tell you whatever you want to know!"

The bugs had fled from Jack once the flames started, and Jack stopped pressing buttons to glare at Oogie. "_Where is Lenora_?" He asked again.

"Upstairs, upstairs!" Oogie implored, "Now help me, Jack!" The fire spread to his other leg and was moving into his torso.

Jack came closer to Oogie, but not within reach. "I already looked upstairs; she wasn't there!"

"That's all I know; she was upstairs with Mimipede and those kids! Now just put it out, put it oouuuut!" Oogie pleaded as the fire grew.

Jack couldn't do a thing about the fire, for it had already spread too much, but he didn't try too hard to help either. Oogie quickly burned to death, pathetically whining until the last bug died. Although Sally had watched Oogie die before, she still couldn't help but put her remaining hand over mouth as the Boogie Man met his end again. Shadows danced from the flames in the night, and then died down as the fuel was spent.

The embers died down, and Jack shook his head and looked around. Then he saw Sally's arm, which had crawled out of reach of the flames; it pointed up towards Sally. Jack looked, and almost jumped. "Sally!" Jack exclaimed incredulously, "I thought you were outside!" Zero barked excitedly at his master and friend's voice.

"…I convinced Boogie's Boys to let me in." Sally replied, then asked worriedly, "Did you find her?"

Jack's face fell. "No… I-" He then remembered Mimipede. "Mimipede!" He called out, hoping to get a reply and more information; "Mimipede, where are you?" No one answered. Jack had been too preoccupied earlier to notice exactly where Mimipede's voices were coming from. As the traps and things had now died down, Jack assumed that the creature had escaped while he could.

"Jack?" Sally inquired.

Jack looked back up at Sally dejectedly. "I'm sorry, Sally… I couldn't find her." Zero anxiously floated down to comfort his master, for he heard the sadness in his tone.

Sally's expression dropped into dismay briefly, but she gathered herself again quickly. "Did you check everywhere down there?"

"No, not yet, but-"

"Well then get looking!" Sally directed; "I'll find a way down there-"

"Sally;" Jack interrupted, "I… How about I check down here, and you check the treehouse again? Oogie did say she was up there with his last words; I think it would be worth at least looking into."

Sally paused in her searching for a descent; "…You're sure?"

Jack went over and picked up Sally's arm gingerly. "We'll not know unless we try." He responded openly.

Sally's face contorted in a bit of frustration momentarily, and then she nodded with a determined face. "All right. Come up and find me when you're done; I'll be searching every corner of this place!"

Jack raised Sally's arm to offer throwing it back at her, but she had already started leaving. Zero watched the arm curiously. "Sally!" Jack called out as he started over towards her overlook."Sally!" Jack called out as he started over towards her overlook.

Sally whirled around. "What, what is it?!"

Jack reached a point just below her; "Don't you want this?" Her hand waved.

Sally looked disappointed. "…Yes, I suppose I ought to." Jack tossed the arm up, and she caught it. "I'll re-attach it later. Thank you!" She said as she turned and left.

As he turned back towards the basement, Jack thought about the situation. Mimipede had said that Lenora wasn't here; Jack had gotten the impression he meant more than just downstairs. Plus, Lock, Shock, and Barrel had repeatedly said that Lenora wasn't around, either. It still wouldn't hurt for Sally to check again, but… Jack was pretty sure he knew what her results would be. He sighed; he did feel he owed it to Sally to pick through things down here, though, and ensure that there weren't any clues to Lenora's current location.

* * *

Long-ish chapter, but I figured you all wouldn't mind. Fight scenes and all that.

So. The saga in the search for Lenora continues. Any thoughts? Leave a comment! Thanks.


	25. Chapter 25

**Quick note: I made some minor changes to Chapter 24 around July 6. If you read it before that date, you might want to re-read it before reading this chapter. Thank you.  
**

* * *

Jack made sure to avoid tripping any more devices as he searched, but the lair looked clean, as far as Lenora was concerned, anyway. There weren't even any feathers, although Jack did see some spent spikes in numerous places, a result from his previous button-smashing. He checked the acid room, in case he had missed anything earlier, but there was nothing inside. Zero went in, and for a moment, Jack wondered worriedly if perhaps she had been caught in the acid… But that thought was easily dismissed as he saw only a small portion of the room had been hit with the acid; not nearly enough to dissolve a whole person, even a small one. He noticed because as Zero floated around the room, only a bit was somewhat wet. However, as he investigated, he noticed a small puddle of sorts dragged from the main concentration. A very light trail went from there to the doorway, but was mostly gone by the time he reached the door. Then Jack remembered the yell from Mimipede before, and concluded that Mimipede must have been caught in the acid, at least a little bit. Jack frowned, wondering how Mimipede had been able to escape if he had been hit with that. Looking around the main lair again, Jack analyzed possible escape routes for the wall-crawling insect, and concluded that adrenaline must have allowed the creature to get close to outside. When Mimipede had stopped talking was when he had managed to actually get out. Even with injuries, Mimipede had probably crawled into the woods by this point. Jack sighed in disappointment and continued his search.

Jack looked in more doors, hidey-holes, and trap areas, but saw nothing helpful. As he searched the casino doorways that held the track-bound gunslingers, though, he noticed a large lump in a corner beside the wall. Confused, he waited for his eyes to adjust and looked closer. Zero sniffed at it and sneezed, then backed away. His nose illuminated the area, though, and as Jack recognized the shape, Jack frowned. It was Mimipede, although not moving, and he was missing a few sections from some of his hind legs. So, Mimipede hadn't managed to escape… Tightening his lips, Jack leaned closer, wondering if the insect were still alive. After a few moments, Jack did see that Mimipede was still breathing. Immediately new worries popped into his mind. Mimipede was unconscious for now, but what would he be like when he awoke? He had helped Jack before, but that may have just been out of spite for Oogie Boogie. The creature had helped Oogie lure Jack down, and the trick-or-treaters had blamed Mimipede for Lenora's abduction. Of course, the trio would always try to avoid their own conviction…

Just how much Jack could trust Mimipede was unknown currently, but Mimipede wasn't likely to be awaking any time soon. As Jack looked at the oversized bug, he momentarily considered simply leaving him be. He _had_ helped Jack in the end, after all, and Oogie was done with. Again. But, the fact that Mimipede had had something to do with Lenora's disappearance was another clue Jack wanted to follow up on; plus, Mimipede had seemed to have knowledge that Lenora wasn't around. He might know where she _was_ located currently. Resolving to come back later, Jack exited the area and put a makeshift door over the entryway, heavy enough that he didn't believe Mimipede would be able to get around it easily, at least in his wounded state. "Stay here, Zero." Jack told his loyal friend. Zero obediently floated in front of the new door. Jack then headed upstairs to talk to Sally.

Sally was digging through a closet, and barely avoided getting a finger snapped off. The treehouse was not the safest of places to go poking about in. She had reattached her arm by this point, as having two hands made it easier to search, and she looked for signs of _something_ regarding Lenora's current location. She had found some feathers, a few white but most of them black, and they looked to have been sitting in their locations for quite a while already. It was becoming plain that there were no persons in this closet, or clues to present whereabouts otherwise. Sally sighed dejectedly as she slowly put the last item back. Her search was going nowhere…

She heard the floor creak behind her, and she hopefully turned around. Jack stood there, but he had no one else with him. Her face became worried as she looked at him, still hoping that he had found her, but perhaps she was injured and he couldn't move her- He shook his head sadly, indicating that Lenora was still missing. Sally's heart sank again, and she looked dolefully at the floor. She pursed her lips for a moment, and then angrily grabbed a small ball on a nearby shelf and hurled it into a corner near the door. It quickly bounced around a few times, vibrating the shelved items, and then got stuck on an exposed nail and abruptly stopped.

Jack was taken aback by her sudden outburst, but before he could decide how to react, she let out a frustrated yell.

"_WHY?!_" she exclaimed at the air, not looking at Jack, "_Why_ isn't she here! _Why_ can't we find her! _Why_-" She paused, unable to breathe in temporarily. Her expression changed from anger to anguish, but not from lack of air. She eventually drew in a shaky breath, and she scrunched her eyes before continuing quietly, "Why can't I _help_?"

Jack immediately stepped forward to comfort her, but she fell to her knees on the floor first. She supported herself with both arms, and her head bent towards the floor. Jack quickly kneeled down in front of her worriedly, frantically trying to figure out how to help. His arms were outstretched, but he was simply moving them around in the air, trying to work out how to best embrace her without squishing her head awkwardly.

"I just wanted a family…" She whispered despondently, not noticing Jack's attempts to help, "Wanted _us_ to be a family…" Jack paused to listen to her better. "I'm so sorry, Jack…" Her hands clenched the ground, and her voice grew more broken as tears welled up; "But I can't even keep our little girl safe! Lenora hasn't even been with us a _year_, and-"

"Sally." Jack interrupted firmly, finally placing a hand on one of her shoulders. She didn't respond, so he gently pushed her shoulder up so that her head tilted out a little, and she had no choice but to raise her head. The look of hopelessness on her face, spattered with tears, broke his heart more than he thought anything could. "Sally…" he repeated, taking her face with his other hand, "…How could you even _think_ that? Lenora _loves_ you; you know that. If she had any choice, she would stay with you always." He rested his skull on her forehead lovingly, and although Sally looked away, she didn't move away. "Even when she should go to school, she'd rather be with you. She's proved it numerous times." Sally gave a brief smirk at that. "You have done everything you can to give her love, and she knows it."

Sally sat back on her knees, pulling away from him, but looked at him with a little bit of hope in her eyes. Jack smiled and brought her into an embrace. "I know it too;" he continued, "and I love you. I will always love you."

Sally hugged him tightly; "…Thank you;" she said eventually, "I love you too."

He basked in her warmth for a few moments longer, and then sighed; "If anyone is to blame for not protecting Lenora, though, it's me."

Sally sniffed as she pulled back and wiped her face. "What? What do you mean?"

Jack stood up and left the closet. "If I had tried to help her with the bullying at school more, then perhaps-"

"Now Jack," Sally said, standing up and regaining her composure, "don't start into that. It's bad enough I had to have a breakdown; don't you go having one too."

"I'm not;" Jack said, "but…" Jack sighed again and shook his head. "At any rate, if I hadn't been so preoccupied with avoiding the witches, I might have been able to get here sooner and actually find her."

"Jack, you were avoiding the witches in order to _search for_ Lenora." Sally defended him; "And besides," she continued, sniffing one more time, "I still haven't finished looking around up here."

"I looked before, Sally;" Jack said, straightforwardly, "She isn't here. Besides, both Boogie's Boys and Mimipede say that she's not here."

Sally contorted her face a little in confusion. "You know Mimipede?"

Jack waved a hand dismissingly; "No, not really – just chased after him earlier. He also helped me with Oogie earlier; sort-of…" Then Jack looked questioningly at Sally. "Do _you_ know him?"

"No;" Sally admitted, "I just heard the kids complaining about him before. And… you say he _helped_ you?"

"Well, it's a bit more complicated than that." Jack started, then put a hand to his skull. "Oh, I almost forgot! Mimipede is downstairs!"

"What?" Sally asked perplexedly.

"He's unconscious." Jack explained off-handedly, "But we can ask him about Lenora when he wakes up, if he's still down there."

"What? Then let's go!" Sally urged at the thought of Lenora, although then followed it with, "But what does he know about Lenora?"

"I'll explain what I know as we go." Jack responded as he led them back down.

* * *

"…and I finished Oogie off." Jack concluded as they sat together outside the casino 'door'. Now that Jack was back, Zero slept at his post in front of the door. "While I was looking around afterwards, I found Mimipede unconscious near the wall in here, and then I came to find you."

Sally was silent. She was grateful for the help Jack received from Mimipede, but… had _he_ been the instigator with Lenora? "…Do you know _why_ he took Lenora?" Sally asked at length.

Jack shook his head. "I told you everything I know already; I think he was just acting on Oogie's orders. But why the trick-or-treaters would listen to Mimipede rather than Oogie is beyond me."

"Well," Sally started, "when I asked about Mimipede before, all three of them started complaining about how Mimipede was always around Oogie. Maybe Oogie wasn't able to communicate directly to them, and was using Mimipede as a go-between. You said he's a large insect, after all."

"Hmm;" Jack mused, intrigued; "You know, you may be right. I'm surprised I didn't think of that before."

Sally hid a smile, happy she was still able to assist Jack's investigations.

After a few moments of quiet, Sally asked, "How long do you think Mimipede will be out?"

"Well, judging from my glance at the moon on our way down here," Jack responded, "it's around 2 or 3 AM. Now I don't know how long Mimipede had been awake before the fight, but no doubt that all took quite a bit out of him. My guess is he won't be waking up at least until it's light out."

Sally sighed tiredly, the active night beginning to catch up with her. "Well, couldn't we just take him back to town with us?"

"No, I'm afraid he's too large for us to move by ourselves." Jack said, "Well, at least with his current injuries. I don't know how he heals. And I think it would take too long to go and get someone else to bring him in, as we'd have to explain the entire situation..." Jack would really rather avoid the panic even the mentioning of a revived Oogie Boogie would have in town. If they took care of things themselves, he could explain that the trick-or-treaters had simply been more troublesome than usual, and had deeply confused Mimipede. He looked around at the empty lair before continuing; "We can rest here until Mimipede wakes up. Look, Zero's already beat us to it."

Sally snuggled closer against Jack. "That does sound like a plan…" She had been going on adrenaline for quite a while, and her emotions lately weren't helping things. She was really quite tired, and even though they were not in an ideal sleeping location, she didn't mind at this point. "You make sure to get some rest too, dear…" She trailed off as her lids closed and she started drifting off.

"Of course." Jack replied softly as he smiled at her, happy that she seemed to be feeling better. He then leaned his head back against the wall and rested his own eye sockets.

* * *

Lock, Shock, and Barrel were laughing together in a circle, probably plotting something. There was something in their hands… Arrows. They had arrows in their hands. In the middle of the circle were three bows, and they each took one. Then, they shot up into the air, laughing all the while. Then, suddenly, Lenora was there. She was standing in a cage, and worriedly trying to find a way out. The trio turned to her with smiles on their faces, wanting to play a game with her. They would take turns shooting at the cage and Lenora would have to dodge. She did so, and even though she looked to be tiring, she continued on. Then, booming laughter made everyone stop. The children all lined up together with the cage, and then Oogie's laughing mouth surrounded them. The Boogie Man's smiling face came into view, while the children shrank and disappeared from sight. Then, his face spontaneously burst into flames. Smoke rose from the fire, and as it rose up a breeze formed it into birds, which flew away in the same direction. Eventually, they massed into a cloud again and something started falling from it. It was light and small, but it was hard to tell if the stuff falling was snow, or ashes…

Sally woke up with wide eyes, although still had to blink a few times to get bearings on her surroundings again. As she recognized Oogie's lair, that it was empty, and she was with Jack, she remembered recent events again. She was eventually able to separate them from her dream; or maybe it had been a nightmare… Either way, she was feeling rather disturbed now, and not in the chilling way that felt exciting. She was uneasy, vestiges from her sleep not letting her mind come to peace again. She had had visions before, but they were rather far and few between. She wasn't sure if she should try exploring what her mind had just created, or assume it was just the result of her over-stimulated mind. Whatever the case, Sally didn't want to dwell on those feelings. She couldn't go back to sleep at this point, though, so she lifted herself from Jack's embrace and stood up.

Jack blinked slowly as Sally smoothed her dress, briefly coming out of sleep himself. He wanted to ask her where she was going, but he couldn't quite work his mouth right yet. A small bit of mumbled slurs was all that escaped.

"I'm just going to walk around a bit;" Sally responded, understanding his meaning even without words; "Don't worry, dear. I'll check the time, too." There was little place for natural light to reach down into the basement, but Sally could tell that it was no longer black as night outside. She used a ladder Jack had found during his earlier searching and climbed up to the window. She stepped onto the ledge and look out; the sky was beginning to turn lighter, but the pumpkin sun hadn't yet come up over the horizon. Sally trusted Jack in that Mimipede wasn't likely to wake up for some time yet. While light was starting to come, she imagined that Mimipede would sleep at least into the morning. Sally was still a bit fidgety, so she concluded that she might as well look upstairs around the treehouse some more. Jack would be around should Mimipede wake up, anyway. So she started climbing up and around the tree to get back to the main treehouse portions.

She and Jack had climbed down together before, both the downward motion and having another person around making the descent easier than her current endeavor. However, Sally didn't mind the extra effort it took to keep her balance and her grip as she climbed. It gave her mind something to focus on other than the apprehension from her sleep. She could also attribute the feeling to the fact that she was climbing unassisted over a pit that was who knew how deep.

Eventually, she reached a solid structure and pulled herself into a window. As she caught her breath and looked back outside, the sun was edging over the hills now and creeping into the Hinterlands. The climb and the eerily beautiful sight invigorated Sally, and her determination to continue searching the treehouse was spurred onwards.

* * *

The tub came to a stop outside the treehouse, just exiting the main forest. The stop, along with the increasing amount of light in the sky, brought the trick-or-treaters unwillingly into consciousness.

"It's morning already?" Shock mumbled from her mask, trying to hide under her hat from the sun.

"Why are we up so early?" Barrel whined as he tried to use his mask to block the sun, and was failing.

Lock just gave an unintelligible groan as he covered his face and mask with his arms. Then, he remembered where they were and jolted upright, quickly lifting his mask and looking around the tub for anything. The trio had all stayed up for a while after fleeing the treehouse, but they weren't going to go into town at that point, just in case Jack returned and wasn't happy with them. But they agreed that they were _not_ going back to the treehouse, either. Not yet, anyway. But none of them wanted to take watches to keep on guard for La Llorona; by that point, they were even too tired to fight about it. After the searching they had already done earlier, plus the excitement from Oogie and Jack, the trio were bushed. So they had simply let the tub wander around and fallen asleep, trusting that the ghost woman wouldn't bother a walking tub if it was silent. The tub had wandered until light began seeping through the trees.

Now, Lock saw nothing but the treehouse in front of them, so he relaxed and fell onto the tub's edge. "We're back at the treehouse." He said tiredly.

"Is it quiet?" Shock asked from under her hat and mask.

Lock squinted his eyes. "I guess so. There's no laughing, and there's no lights anywhere."

There was silence for a few moments.

"Let's just go inside." Barrel complained as he lifted his mask and rubbed his eyes, giving up on trying to block the sun.

There were no arguments, and so Lock and Barrel got the tub going again and got it headed back to their home.

Once inside they were all more or less awake, although the only thing they wanted was to head for a more comfortable sleeping place. They were just leaving the tub in the armory when they heard something fall in a nearby room. Confused, and still half-asleep, they looked at each other.

"Lenora…?" Barrel mentioned questioningly. Perhaps she had come back after all…?

The other two weren't arguing, so they crept forward to investigate. However, just before they reached the doorway, Sally emerged from it. She saw them, and surprise was evident on her face. They looked at her with about the same expression, and then quickly turned around.

"Back to the tub!" Shock exclaimed as they fled. However, although their minds were now rather awake, their bodies were unwilling to keep up the pace. Lock tripped as they ran, and fell into Shock, who fell into Barrel, pushing him into a wall, upon hitting which he fell back on top of Shock. Before they could successfully untangle themselves, Sally had grabbed Shock and Barrel, and was holding Lock in place by holding her foot on his tail.

"_You_ three are going _nowhere_." Sally growled.

Although they struggled briefly, the trick-or-treaters were too tired to put up much of a fight. They knew that if Sally was there, Jack couldn't be much farther, and they certainly didn't want to deal with him currently. Letting out frustrated sighs and grunts, they submitted to Sally easier than she anticipated.

"What do you _waaant_?" Barrel moaned pitifully.

Although a bit surprised, Sally wasn't swayed by their demeanor. "I'm looking for Lenora." She said, not letting them go; "Where is she?"

"We _told_ you already, we don't know!" Shock griped.

"Well then," Sally said assertively, "I guess you'll just have to help me look for her, then."

"_Where_?" Lock questioned.

"Here;" Sally replied; "the whole treehouse."

The trio looked at her with appalled expressions.

"_Whaaaat_?"

"You mean the _entire_ treehouse?"

"What?"

"Yes;" Sally demanded, "and we are not going to leave until we find her."

Irritated groaning answered her.

"But that'll take _forever_!"

"It's too early!"

"I'm too tired! I can't see straight!"

"She's not even here!"

Silence followed the last statement, as the words sank into the air around them.

"…What do you mean, she _isn't here_?" Sally intoned.

They were all silent.

"I'm asking a question." Sally said in a low, serious tone. She increased her physical pressure on all three of them slightly.

"It's Mimipede!" Lock barked quickly, trying to free his tail.

"Yeah, he had her last! He took her someplace!" Shock added.

"Oh?" Sally responded; she had somewhat been expecting that kind of response. "Well lucky thing he's just downstairs, then, isn't it?" They all looked at her in surprise. "Why don't we go talk to him together?" It wasn't really a question, and they all knew it.

"He'll try to lie!"

"He's not gonna admit anything!"

"He won't help!"

Sally wasn't in the mood to listen to their shouted arguments. "We'll see." Was her reply; "Now come on; maybe he'll be more cooperative with you three around."

"But he hates us!"

"Well, you'll make sure that he doesn't lie then, won't you?" Sally retorted. She changed her grip so that she was holding Shock and Barrel by their shirts, and grabbed Lock's shirt with her now-free hand, allowing him to get up. "Now I'm going to let you free, but if you go running off…" She left it hanging, allowing their imagination to do the rest. She didn't see much visible response, although their masks were off. For extra insurance, she continued, "If you go running off, there will be nobody to combat whatever Mimipede tells us." That brought about a tightening in their faces that Sally took for frustration, and, confident that would work, released them.

The trio automatically stepped away from her and huddled closer together, but they didn't run away. They looked at each other for a few moments, and then looked at Sally. Sally watched them warily. To enforce her threat, though, she turned and started walking away. "I'm going to go talk to Mimipede." She said as she left. There was nothing for moment, but then Sally heard them following her. She smiled, and continued on her path.

* * *

Jack eventually woke up as Zero barked at something. Jack shortly blinked himself awake and looked at the ghost dog. Zero was facing the improvised door, and as Jack listened, he heard some groaning from the other side. Mimipede must have awoken by this point. Jack motioned for Zero to follow him, and then opened the door on one side just enough for him to squeeze his skeletal frame through. Zero easily followed.

Once inside, the large-closet-sized space was quite dark. However, Zero's glowing nose soon illuminated the area decently enough. Mimipede squinted his eyes in the low light, probably at least in part due to pain, Jack imagined. But his eyes weren't focused on Jack or Zero. Mimipede also hadn't moved since waking up; he was still on the ground near the side wall, and not even his position had changed. Briefly, Jack wondered if Mimipede was even aware of his surroundings. But then Mimipede spoke.

"So, why are you still here?" Mimipede croaked out.

Jack briefly wondered if he was addressing him, or a hallucination. "…I'm looking for Lenora." Jack said plainly.

Mimipede coughed out a chuckle as his voice gained solidity from usage again. "Well, I told you already… that she's not here."

Jack was relieved to know that Mimipede knew who he was talking to. "I know." Jack replied evenly, hoping that Mimipede wasn't too out of it to understand his intentions. "But…" Zero sniffed towards Mimipede, but Jack motioned for him to stay back. He wasn't sure what Mimipede would do.

Mimipede was silent for a moment, and then looked at Jack, moving his head only the slightest bit. "You think _I_ know?"

"Well, Oogie seemed to indicate that you, Lock, Shock, and Barrel took care of her upstairs." Jack intoned, more at ease now that it seemed he wouldn't have to wait any longer to question Mimpede; he was aware enough to respond coherently.

"And you haven't asked _them_ about her?" Mimipede started, but then immediately rolled his eyes, moving his head a little more freely; "Of course, they probably told you that _I_ knew…"

"You do, don't you?" Jack asked, more statement than question though.

"No I don't!" Mimipede snapped, then calmed his voice to a statement tone again; "They just hate me."

"And why would they?" Jack asked candidly.

Mimipede gave a short laugh. "How should I know? I brought them back to Oogie, and it seemed like something they wanted. But I think they just didn't like the fact that I knew what I was doing."

Jack filed in his mind the information that Mimipede brought the trick-or-treaters back to Oogie as evidence that Mimipede was a go-between for them and Oogie, and then pressed onwards. "And what exactly _were_ you doing?"

"Simply doing what was asked of me." Mimipede replied evenly, then continued; "It wasn't my fault that they couldn't do a single job without getting into a fight about it…"

"_What_ had been asked of you?" Jack pressed.

"To get Lenora." Mimipede responded openly.

Jack analyzed Mimipede, trying to decide if he was sharing everything.

Mimipede could tell he was being scrutinized. "After she was here," Mimipede continued, "Oogie still had to finish getting put together, not to mention get his lair running smoothly again. You didn't think a revenge plot was going to be so simple, did you?"

Jack rolled his fingers in thought. "Well, with Oogie…"

"Yeah, well, he was in a rush to get at you, for sure." Mimipede conceded; "But, obviously, he still wasn't ready for you."

Jack thought that Mimipede sounded a little too ready to accept that fact, if he had truly been helping Oogie so much. "…You don't sound too upset about that." Jack said boldly.

Mimipede chuckled a little. "Yes, well… I'm not."

"Why?" Jack asked, surprised.

"He was an idiot." Mimipede sneered, "Just like his little henchmen. At least _they_ have age as an excuse, though."

"…So you don't support him?" Jack continued.

"No." Mimipede said, "He was the first creature I met near Halloweentown. He persuaded me to help him get revenge on you, and I was convinced it was the right thing to do. But as I did errands around town, things didn't seem near as bad as Oogie said they were. And you weren't quite the monster he made you out to be, either. Although," he smiled, "you _can_ be quite dangerous."

Jack frowned a little. "How long have you been in town? Why haven't I seen you before?"

Mimipede made a small shrug, only moving his forelegs a little. "I didn't make myself known. Oogie made it sound like Halloweentown was a place to avoid unless he was in need of something."

"Well, I must congratulate you on your sneakiness, then." Jack mused, but then remembered his first encounter with Mimipede. "However, why you were so accusatory when you first came into the treehouse last night? You acted like you knew the children had done something."

Mimipede sneered. "I loathe those 'children' just as much as they do me." He snorted; "I'm surprised the little cretins haven't murdered me in my sleep! Although I'm sure they've tried…"

"Are you always so violent towards each other?" Jack asked.

Again Mimipede shrugged, although the movement was bigger this time. "They start it. I won't take death threats or attempts lying down. Well, aside from now, obviously."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "You think that this is a death threat?"

Mimipede moved his head as he looked around. "Well, given the circumstances…"

Jack smiled as he shook his skull. "No, no; I'm not going to kill you, although I appreciate the sentiment. I am merely taking advantage of the situation at hand. By the way, how are you feeling? I noticed that you, er, had a run-in with the acid."

"How horrible for you to notice." Mimipede sarcastically replied, having picked up a little on Halloweentown's peculiar affinity for superlatives. He then continued more seriously; "I still can't feel some of my back end, but my movements thus far haven't proved too painful. Of course, I've only used my head and front legs a little, but hey, I'm not comatose anymore."

"Feeling much pain?" Jack continued.

"Not yet," Mimipede responded, "but just give it some time. I'm sure I'll be screaming in agony at some point."

"That's the spirit!" Jack encouraged, "I'm afraid I'm no doctor, but you've managed thus far just terribly."

"How dreadful." Mimipede continued with sarcasm. Alas, Jack did not catch it, and continued blithely on.

"Well, since you harbor no association with Oogie Boogie, and you only worked with him due to misunderstanding, I will overlook the fact that you helped him to capture me. Once you're able to move about again, I can properly introduce you to the town, although I imagine you have seen quite a bit already. However," he said more seriously, "there is still Lenora."

Mimipede furrowed his brow. "What about her? I already told her I don't know where she is."

Jack rolled his skeletal fingers together in contemplation. "Well, yes, but you, Lock, Shock, and Barrel were the last ones to see her most recently. I'm sure you have _some_ idea as to where she might be hiding?"

"Hiding…?" Mimipede questioned; "You mean she isn't in the treehouse?"

"No." Jack confirmed.

"And you've searched everywhere?"

"Yes – well, mostly;" Jack admitted, "but I'm _sure_ she isn't there. Sally even looked for her, and if she was around, Lenora would have come out for her."

"What about the kids?"

"…What about them?" Jack responded, "They helped Sally in during the fight, and then disappeared."

"…Are you sure they didn't take her with them?"

Jack paused, considering the new idea. "I suppose… it's possible." Again, he was surprised he hadn't thought of it himself before. Focusing again on Mimipede, Jack continued; "But why would they? They knew that Oogie wouldn't win."

"You sure about that?" Mimipede remarked.

"They seemed sure last time." Jack replied.

"Yes, well, they tend to high-tail it out of any overly-dangerous situation, don't they?" Mimipede continued, testing a few more of his legs tentatively. He winced. "Especially if they have something to do with it."

"Hmm;" Jack rubbed his jaw in thought. However, before Jack could think of more questions, Zero barked and started growling at the ceiling. Jack looked up, but he didn't see anything. Zero floated towards Mimipede and continued growling. Mimipede then seized up and made extremely strained groans, which sounded more like intermittent growls. Jack tilted his head. "Are you al-" Before he could finish, Mimipede's mouth opened and he let out some cries that sounded quite angry, also arching his back a little bit. Zero backed away and barked. Then Mimipede's legs started waving, but as the movement reached his back end, he threw his head up and cried out in pain, and then collapsed back onto the floor.

Zero was quiet now, and Mimipede was still. Jack watched for a few seconds, and then crept closer to investigate. Mimipede was still breathing. Jack concluded that apparently, the pain from the acid had resurfaced. While trying to rid himself of the pain, Mimipede had triggered more painful areas, and it had all been too much for him to maintain consciousness. Jack straightened himself up again and was thankful that he had gotten at least some information from the large insect. If the story Mimipede had told him was true, then Jack had no reason to distrust his information. Of course, that first part still had to be verified, but Jack similarly had no reason to mistrust Mimipede. Mimipede had been with Oogie, but only due to a misunderstanding and manipulation. When put to the test, he had helped Jack. That was enough for him to at least try to believe Mimipede was being truthful.

Jack headed over to his 'door' and slipped out, Zero following. He wondered if perhaps he ought to take the door down, since he had already asked questions of Mimipede, but before he could reach a decision, he heard some yells echoing from the pipe in the ceiling. He stepped closer, curious. Then the trick-or-treaters came tumbling out of the pipe, one right after the other. They landed in a pile, and griped at each other as they disentangled themselves. Soon afterwards, a familiar yell also came down the pipe, and then Sally popped out. She almost landed on top of the trio, who yelled at her too as she fell down to the ground from the momentum. Immediately, Jack stepped over to help her up. Boogie's Boys crowded together as he passed, but simply watched as he helped Sally up.

"Well, that way was certainly faster!" Sally commented as she straightened her dress; "Thank you, Jack." She looked over at the children, making sure they were still nearby, and then asked Jack, "Is Mimipede awake yet, dear?"

"Actually," Jack responded, "he's been awake and back into sleep again."

"What?" Sally exclaimed.

"He tried moving too much, I think." Jack replied, then continued, "But I was able to talk to him for a little while before then."

The trick-or-treaters gasped.

"We don't have her!"

"He's lying!"

"He tricked us!"

Jack raised an eyebrow before continuing; "He said that he didn't know where she was, and that you all were simply following Oogie's instructions."

Reluctant silence followed.

"Well… _that's_ probably true…" Barrel allowed.

"He also suggested that you three had possibly taken her somewhere during my fight with Oogie." Jack went on.

"What?"

"No way!"

"There was no time for that!"

"Why would we do that?"

Jack held up a hand to silence them. "That is simply what Mimipede said. How much of it is true, you will have to prove."

In the silence that followed, Sally questioned Jack; "Did he say anything else?"

Jack shook his head. "Not regarding Lenora, I'm afraid. Well, other than the fact that Oogie had wanted her here."

"Nu-uh!"

"That's not true!"

"He didn't even know she was here!"

Jack turned to the children questioningly. "Who didn't know?"

"Oogie Boogie!" The children chorused together.

Jack and Sally looked at each other with concern. Then Jack shook his head slightly and said quietly to her; "Oogie knew; that's how he got me down here." Jack turned back to the children and continued normally; "Mimipede also said that he had never been to town before meeting Oogie, and that he brought you three back to Oogie."

"Yeah, we didn't know about Oogie being back before Mimipede told us!" Barrel agreed readily.

"We probably wouldn't have ever gotten involved again except for him!" Lock continued.

"Yeah, he might've even been the one to bring him back!" Shock added.

Jack looked at her a bit doubtfully; "Mimipede said that you three and he had a rather rocky relationship, too." Jack said.

"Yeah, well he didn't try to make it any easier…" Shock grumbled.

"He was just always so secretive!" Barrel pointed out.

"It was suspicious." Lock said.

"Because he was doing errands for Oogie Boogie?" Jack questioned dubiously.

"He was out way more often than he had to be for that stuff!" Lock argued.

"And he didn't usually look real happy when he came back, either." Shock added.

Jack took in this new information, and attempted applying it to what he had already gathered about Mimipede. The stories _seemed_ like they could go together, if Mimipede had lied to him, at least in part. But, why would he…? What purpose could it possibly serve?

"Well, I don't know what any of this has to do with Lenora," Sally said, interrupting Jack's thoughts; "especially with where she might be right now. Jack, you said that she wasn't down here, right? But we still haven't finished checking the main treehouse yet." She gave a meaningful look at the trick-or-treaters.

Their faces fell.

"Are we going to start _now_?"

"Don't you guys ever sleep?"

"Will _never_ finish looking!"

Sally stared them down for a few moments, and then Jack added his gaze to the pressure. Eventually, after some uncomfortable shuffling around, the trio turned around and started trudging towards the window with the ladder.

"We aren't even going to find her…" Barrel mumbled to himself as they went along.

However, Jack had heard his intended self-commentary. "Now, wait a moment;" he said, "that is at least the second time I've heard you all mention not being able to find Lenora."

"You too?" Sally asked, then directed her attention at the kids; "I heard them mention it a few times too. Or, at least avoid the subject."

The kids looked at each other nervously, and Lock punched Barrel, but they didn't say anything.

"What do you know about where Lenora is right now?" Jack insisted.

The kids took one last glance at each other, and then dashed for the ladder. Jack had seen their plan, though, and was quickly in front of their path. He stared down at them with a menacing look, and the three skidded to a halt. They quickly turned around and fled the other direction. However, they saw Sally standing there, in a position ready to go any direction to cut them off. Zero barked and followed them, excited by the action. They all hesitated a moment, and then split up, running off in different directions. The couple was ready for this, and lunged for the children. Before any of them could get very far, Jack had grappled Lock and Barrel into his grasp, while Sally had managed to grab Shock.

They all struggled, but they could see that they were not going anywhere anytime soon. So before any questioning could start, they started in on excuses.

"It wasn't our fault!"

"We didn't do anything!"

"We didn't know she was there!"

"She was fine before!"

"We wouldn't have done anything!"

"We don't know where she went!"

"_Quiet_!" Jack exclaimed, silencing them. "Now, what happened?"

"She…" Barrel started, "She ran away."

"She went out one of the windows." Lock grumbled.

"We weren't there, so we couldn't keep her inside." Shock added, "But we had never needed to before!"

"How do you know she went out the window then?" Jack questioned.

"One of her bandages got caught on the tree branch;" Lock said, "we found it later."

"Even her bird went with her…" Barrel muttered.

"What bird?" Sally questioned.

"There was this black four-eyed bird that would always follow her around." Shock said.

"Yeah," Lock agreed, "its eyes were red, and it never seemed to die."

Sally furrowed her brows, trying to remember if she had ever seen the bird around Lenora. "How long was it around?"

Shock shrugged. "He just kind of showed up one day. The only thing we know is that his name was Pariah."

Jack and Sally looked at each other, both wondering where the bird could have come from. "And you're sure he wasn't living in the treehouse before?" Jack asked, aware that the treehouse was a large and rather unkempt place.

"No," Lock argued, "we would've noticed _him_."

"Right…" Jack said halfheartedly. Lock glared at him, but couldn't really do much else.

"How long ago did this happen?" Sally asked pointedly.

"…Just last night." Shock mumbled.

"What?!" Both Jack and Sally exclaimed, almost letting go of the trick-or-treaters in their surprise.

"She got out right before Jack showed up." Lock said.

"No she didn't;" Sally insisted, increasing her grip on shock unconsciously, "I was right outside, and I didn't see her anywhere!"

"That was because she actually got out a while before then!" Shock explained, worried about Sally's grip; "We found that she had left, and we went out to look for her!"

"We got back right before Jack found us." Barrel added.

Jack and Sally looked at each other, and decided that what trick-or-treaters were saying was true. It made sense with what snippets of conversation they had been hearing between them, and the situations they'd seen. "Which way did she go?" Jack demanded.

"We don't know!"

"We searched all over the woods!"

"We couldn't find her…"

Jack narrowed his eyes, analyzing the children.

"Honest!" Barrel said, showing his open hands to prove he wasn't crossing them; "We only came back because we were…"

He trailed off, and avoided eye contact with the other two, who were glaring at him. Jack turned his attention to Lock. "You were what?"

"We were… tired." Lock drew out.

"Yeah;" Shock agreed, "We were searching for a long time."

"But it was still fairly early in the night whenever you returned." Jack mentioned.

"No it wasn't!" Lock argued, "It was already midnight! There were only a few more hours –" Lock realized what he had said, and shut up quickly. Jack smiled, though.

"Exactly." Jack said, "So you three couldn't have been as tired as you say you were."

"All right, fine!" Shock exclaimed, "We came back because of La Llorona!"

Sally gasped, her grip loosening enough on Shock that she wriggled out of her grasp. She only fled a few steps away, though, and turned around to look at Sally. Sally had again forgotten about the ghost in the Hinterlands. But she didn't forget that she preyed on children…

"…We didn't actually see her." Shock said, after looking at Sally's horrified face for a bit, "But she's more active at night. We… we got scared."

"Was Lenora still out there?" Sally questioned desperately.

The trick-or-treaters remained silent for a while.

"…We don't know." Barrel said. "We never found her."

A heavy silence filled the space around them, burdened with anxiety and fear. They all knew the atmosphere, but usually it wasn't associated with people they knew, nor in such actually dangerous circumstances. Eventually, Sally looked at Jack, and he nodded, letting Barrel and Lock go. The boys quickly shuffled towards Shock.

"We should go look now." Jack said to Sally seriously.

Sally nodded and started walking towards the ladder. "Yes; she's only been out for one night. She could still be out there!"

Jack was about to say something else, about odds and probability, but thought better of it and simply nodded as she passed. He joined her as they strode to the exit and climbed up. The children watched as the Pumpkin King and Queen left Oogie's lair, Zero following.

Jack paused at the top, though. He looked back at the kids, and said, "If I find that you three are lying…" His skull darkened with his words.

The trick-or-treaters quickly reassured him.

"N-never!"

"Nope!"

"N-no way! We know better than that!"

"It's the truth!"

"We swear!"

They even resisted the urge to cross their fingers as they said it, even though it was all true anyway. Jack nodded, and then left their sight.

They continued staring at the window for a little while, and then looked around the lair.

"…Hey;" Lock said; "Where's Mimipede?"

* * *

Thus another chapter continues. Thoughts? Opinions? Outraged remarks? Leave a comment~


	26. Chapter 26

Lenora's eyes felt thick and heavy, but she refused to let them close. She continued walking, despite the fact that her legs felt overstretched and almost limp, mainly because she felt like if she stopped, she wasn't sure she would ever get going again. She couldn't afford to be left behind in the woods alone. She had no idea where she was, and she did not want to be caught by the scary ghost lady she had encountered before; once had been enough. Demise continued his relentless pace in front of her, while Pariah rode on his shoulder. Pariah had been on her shoulder before, but he had left at some point during their travel. She assumed it was because she had been slowing down, but she honestly didn't remember. She couldn't remember if she had asked any questions of Demise, either. She thought that she had, but she also knew that she didn't want to offend him; he was helping her right now, and she didn't want to turn that around. Of course, she also wanted to have some assurance that _he_ knew where he was going, since it felt like they had been walking through the forest for forever… Maybe she had already asked him, and simply couldn't remember the answer, though. But… maybe she hadn't?

As she tried to remember what she had or hadn't said since they began their walk, she was only slightly aware of something nagging at her mind. It felt familiar, but it wasn't entirely there, either. Maybe she had asked him about Halloweentown again? No, she would probably avoid that subject right now… Maybe she had asked him about Pariah? Where he had come from, perhaps? But she should have remembered something like that. Maybe she had asked about Lock, Shock, and Barrel, but had forgotten whatever his answer had been… It made sense, since she still considered them her friends, and whatever he had to say probably wasn't very nice… Although, he wasn't as rude as some of the people in town were about the trio.

"… Lenora!" A voice said firmly.

Lenora jumped, and her legs twitched towards running, but she managed to just keep walking. She looked at Demise, who was looking at her over his free shoulder as he walked forward. He seemed a little bit tense, but relaxed into a smirk as she looked at him. "Nice to see you're still around." He said wryly; "As I said, we're almost there."

Lenora blinked a few times and forced herself to be more aware as she looked ahead, but all she could see were more trees. She furrowed her brows and tried to look harder. "… Where?"

"Right there." Demise said, pointing in front of them; "See the colors through the trees?"

Lenora redirected her eyes, and finally saw what he was talking about. There _was_ some color in the trees; although what exactly it was she couldn't tell. "What is it?" She said blearily, not intentionally in such a way, but her voice was a little uncooperative. She cleared her throat and tried again, more confidently; "What is it?"

"You mean what are _they_?" Demise clarified.

Confused, Lenora blinked hard a couple of times again. Her mind registered the color, and also finally that there was sunlight out around her, but didn't want to go any farther than that. She forced her mind to focus though, and when she looked again she could tell that there were different points of color in the trees. "Yes." She agreed, "What are they? That's… what I meant."

"They are doors." Demise answered simply as they got closer.

Lenora heard the words, but it took a few moments for her to process what they meant. When it finally clicked, her face became more relaxed. "Oh." Was all she said in response. It was silent for a few more moments, and then she followed up with, "Why?"

"To go through." Demise answered, "What else?"

"Oh." Lenora halfheartedly nodded her head to herself, albeit in a slow fashion. It still took a little while for the words to sink in, and this time Lenora was aware of the delay. Lenora frowned, and tried to focus her mind again, as it felt like things were becoming hazier. She wondered if this might be what the Melting Man felt like: aware, but rather slow. At least she was still keeping up her pace with walking, she supposed. And her skin wasn't falling off of her bones. That thought brought disturbing images to her mind, rather unbidden, and she quickly tried to think of other things and began walking faster.

Thankfully, she didn't have long to wait, for she soon entered into a circle of trees. On some of the trees were the colored bits she had seen earlier, the doors. She was soon distracted by the various shapes and colors around her. Her eyes widened, and even though she stopped walking, her mind began to function a little bit more normally.

Then she noticed a tree that had no colorful shape on it, but a big hole. Through the hole was more forest. Lenora tilted her head. "Is there something wrong with that one?"

"It's broken." Demise said from beside her; "I wouldn't suggest going through it."

"Why?" Lenora questioned, noticing the debris bits in front of the space.

"It's broken." Demise repeated, in a tone that suggested that ought to be enough information.

Lenora squinted her eyes at the hole in the tree, but turned when she was distracted by movement. Demise was approaching a different door, one that was green and looked kind-of like a plant. She was more interested in the one beside it that was very colorful and round, but that wasn't the one Demise went to. He stopped in front of the green one, beside some mushrooms that were large enough for her to stand on. He turned and looked at her expectantly. She stared for a moment, and then realized that he was waiting for her, so started to move towards him. Well, she tried; her body was quite reluctant to follow her ideas, and it even almost refused to hold her up. But her willpower proved stronger and she walked over to Demise and Pariah.

"Now, we're going to go through this door," Demise told her calmly, "And we're going to meet some new people on the other side. They aren't going to hurt you, and they aren't even going to want to scare you." Lenora raised her eyebrows in surprise. He smiled; "They are part of a different holiday, and scaring isn't a part of that one."

Lenora had no conscious knowledge that these were the Holiday Doors. She remembered a little bit about the holidays in general, from when Sally had explained Halloweentown to her, but that had been a long time ago to her. Lenora only really remembered about Halloween, because it was always around her; the other holidays were things that were harder for her to grasp. As Demise mentioned holidays, though, Lenora remembered that they did exist.

"So… They won't try to scare me?" Lenora repeated questioningly.

"No," Demise answered, "they won't. But there is something I should to tell you before we go there, and you have to go with it if you want to go with me." Lenora nodded obediently. Demise knelt to her eye level; "I am going to tell the people we meet over there that you are an angel."

Lenora twisted her face in confusion. "But…" she argued, trying to remember what Sally told her an angel was, "But, I'm not."

Demise raised his eyebrows at her. "Are you sure?" He then stood up.

Lenora was taken aback for a moment; "Yes, I… I'm pretty sure! And that would be lying!"

Demise shrugged.

Lenora took a more aggressive stance; "Lying is bad! I don't want you to lie about me." She had gotten used to Lock, Shock, and Barrel lying regularly, but she knew that didn't make it better, and she was too tired to rationalize much right now. She also had too many memories where lying did her absolutely no good, and others finding out about her lies just made things worse for her.

"Well do you want me to tell them the truth?" Demise retorted; "That you are running away because you stole something, and practically burned a building down? Isn't that 'bad', too?"

Lenora frowned tensely, wanting to argue, but was unable to think of anything.

"I know it isn't your first choice of action," Demise continued, "but you don't exactly have many alternatives. Unless, of course, you want to go back…?"

Lenora's defiant face melted as she understood his words, and she hung her head in acquiescence. "… Okay…" She accepted morosely.

Demise smiled and rested a hand lightly on her head. "You won't have to worry about anyone finding you through here." Demise said soothingly, then removed his hand; "Go ahead and open the door."

Lenora took some courage from his words, hoping that she wouldn't find any more trouble in this new place. She didn't know how long she would be gone, if she could ever face Sally and Jack again, or how long Oogie would have power over Lock, Shock, and Barrel, but she knew that she had to leave Halloweentown and the Hinterlands for now. So she climbed up on some of the mushrooms, which were springy yet solid beneath her feet, and reached up for the handle. Turning it, she tried pushing it open. Unfortunately, that didn't really work. She tried pulling it next, and it easily swung open towards her. She moved out of the way and let go as she watched the door swing the rest of the way, and then looked through, expecting to see another forest of some kind, like the broken one had been. But instead, all she saw was blackness. A little confused, she grabbed the edge of the doorway and looked inside; there was no top or bottom that she could see, and it just looked… empty.

Still gripping the doorway, she looked back at Demise, clearly puzzled. "Where is it?"

"What?" Demise patiently responded.

"The other place;" Lenora said, "Where is it?"

"You have to go _through_ the door to find out." He answered.

Lenora looked back at the emptiness uncertainly, when she felt a breeze swirl around her. She quickly looked around, but nothing else was moving. The breeze picked up in force, pulling her towards the void. Her grip on the doorway tightened, fear swelling up inside of her. She looked frantically back at Demise, only to see him smiling at her.

"Don't fight it;" Demise told her, his hair flowing in the breeze as it encircled him too; "Let it take you away." Pariah hunched down on his shoulder, and Lenora watched with a horrified expression as they both willingly fell into the darkness.

Lenora's breathing increased rapidly, as her only guide disappeared from sight. Lenora resisted being taken herself, anxiety overcoming logic in her head. But in an effort to remain calm, she tried thinking of something, anything, and ended up repeating Demise's words;_ don't fight it._ As much as she hated the thought, Demise hadn't seemed worried about it, and neither had Pariah. Especially right now, she couldn't think of anything else to do. So she scrunched her eyes, held her breath, and let go of the doorway. She felt herself be picked up by the wind, and even though she wanted to spread her wings and try to do something, she stayed huddled in a little ball as she was flung into the darkness. Fear still very high in her mind, all the things that could lurk in the dark exploded in her mind, and she screamed.

* * *

Lenora was still screaming when she felt solid ground underneath her again. She didn't remember hitting the ground, but just suddenly, she was there, lying on her side. As she paused in her screaming to take a breath, she registered that she was no longer falling and held her breath. She didn't hear anything, except for some squeaking-like sounds. Actually, as she listened, she realized they were birds, but a lot more than she usually heard at once. She also felt that the ground underneath her wasn't cold and barren, but actually… rather warm. She slowly lowered her arms from around her head to the ground. The ground felt soft, almost carpeted, and she spread her hand out slowly, feeling soft grass between her bandages. About this time, she remembered that breathing was important, so she slowly let out her breath, and opened her eyes. The ground was green, lusciously so, and there were even a few wild flowers within her sight. She blinked, and then quickly sat up to look around her.

She was on a small hill, not too far from a forest, but the trees there were full and lush with leaves. Everything was green, vibrantly green, and there was grass all around and underneath her. There were very few places that weren't covered in greenery, but even they looked just as bright as the green. Even the rocks, which were gray, seemed to be almost alive. Lenora whipped her head around the other direction, and saw Demise standing calmly with Pariah on his shoulder. He watched as Pariah fluffed his feathers, getting used to things again. Lenora's eyes were wide and her breathing was still fairly rapid as she tried to formulate a sentence. "Wh-... Where… Where are we?"

"We are near St. Patrick'stown." Demise said, as he walked over to her; "Dedicated to St. Patrick's Day. It's a bit vivacious for my taste, but I don't live here." He smirked; "Well, as much as I ever 'live'."

Lenora's anxiety level lessened a little bit as she saw that there was no one around them, nor did there seem to be much of anything but sunshine and colors, mostly green. Her adrenaline still pumped quite highly, though, for she was not used to such liveliness around her in color. Lenora got up, and her breathing slowed to somewhat normal, but her eyes remained wide open. "Is… Is it always like this?"

"Is Halloweentown always dark and gloomy?" Demise responded. He looked around briefly, and then started heading down the hill. Lenora stayed distracted by the color for a few moments, but soon got up and followed him, not wanting to be left alone.

They reached the bottom of the hill, and Lenora had almost fallen over a couple of times for trying to turn her head so many directions at once. An edge of the forest was nearby, as was a trail that headed out into a pasture. They were nearer to the trees, though, as Lenora discovered by looking up and seeing sunshine through the leaves. The sun illuminated them like a green glass window, and birds flitted about as they walked by. Lenora was so distracted, that she actually stepped into a tree by accident. She gave a short yelp of surprise as she quickly tensed and backed up a step, but nothing else came out at her. Demise paused and turned, although he didn't look too concerned. In fact, he was smiling.

"… Watch out for that tree."

Lenora whipped around at the new voice, her heart rate going up again, but she didn't see anyone around. "Wh-Who's there?"

An older man with a beard appeared from out of the foliage in the woods, not too far away from her. "No need to be scared, child." He said, "I'm just looking out for the trees." He was entirely green, and his robe appeared to be made out of leaves. The only thing Lenora really noticed, though, was the fact that he didn't have any claws, nor did he have any extra limbs or eyes. But she thought his eyes did look quite kind. He turned his attention to Demise. "You should keep a better watch on her;" he said, making note of her bandages, "she looks about ready to go out cold."

"It's just a bit of shock." Demise responded evenly; "She was just rescued from the grasp of a pack of demons recently."

Lenora turned and looked at him in surprise, and the man's crinkled eyes widened at the information. "What?" He asked as he stepped forward.

"Yes;" Demise continued, stepping closer to both the man and Lenora; "If you couldn't guess by the wings, she's an angel. A young one, yes, but still one."

The old man took another step forward and dropped to one knee, looking at Lenora, although he was still a few feet away. Lenora had opened her mouth to protest against Demise, but she remembered that she had to go along with whatever Demise said, so she just closed her mouth and stayed still, watching the man. "Aye, she seems a sweet lass…" He murmured, and then his eyes shifted to her wings. He gazed at them for a few moments, and then directed his attention back to Demise. "But why is she here?"

"I told you, she was just rescued." Demise repeated, stepping beside Lenora; "You know as well as I that since the beginning of St. Patrick's Day, the daoine sídhe and angels haven't always seen eye to eye. Things have gotten better, thankfully, so when one of their own was kidnapped, the angels decided to come to us for help. I'm sure they could have handled things on their own, but they saw an opportunity to increase trust betwixt us. And as you can see," he said, resting a hand on Lenora's head, "their trust was well put."

The old man stood up and nodded sagely with a hand on his beard, commenting, "Of course! The fair folk will always live up to expectations." He raised an eyebrow; "I don't believe I recognize you, though."

"Ah, yes;" Demise responded, removing his hand from Lenora and putting it on his own chest; "I may not exactly be local, but as you can see I'm certainly not an angel."

The old man eyed him and Pariah for a few seconds, and then continued; "No, you're not. So what's your business here, then?"

"I was told to take care of the little angel, and bring her here."

The man narrowed his eyes; "And why would they trust you with such a task if you're not from here?"

Demise shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly; "I'm the brother of Badb. I take it her word has a bit of sway."

The old man dropped his hands in surprise, and his eyes opened even bigger than before; "You're related to the Morrígna?!"

"Yes." Demise stated, as if it were obvious.

Lenora didn't really understand what they were talking about, but since they were no longer moving, her body was starting to remind her that it hadn't had sleep for a very long time, and she had been pushing its limits. She put out a hand and leaned against a nearby tree.

"How… Why…" The man tried formulating sentences, staring at Demise in bewilderment.

"Well, we can't exactly reside in the same areas." Demise explained casually; "Too much bloodshed, and there'll be no one left to cause any more."

The man looked at Pariah closer, making note of the four red eyes. Pariah looked back, tilting his head slightly. The man drew back a little, grimacing slightly, but quickly masking it. "So… What brings you here, again?"

"Actually, I was told by my sister that I could leave this young one in the care of the residents here." Demise said, "She mentioned the fortitude and courage of the people here. There is some fighting still going on, and the angels did not want to risk another break-in during the fight, so it was decided that she would be safe here. Unless, of course, that's too difficult for you fair folk. In which case, I could take her back to the front with me –"

"No!" The man interjected, raising his hands; "No, that'll not be necessary." He put a hand on the same tree Lenora was leaning against, above her; "We'll take excellent care of her; you'll have no need to worry about her safety."

Lenora was only dimly aware that the man's hand was somewhat close to her, but she didn't really mind. He seemed nice enough, and he wasn't scary looking at the least. She heard Demise's voice on occasion, and still felt his robe beside her, so she relaxed more, bending her arm and carefully resting her full weight on her shoulder and wing against the tree.

Demise smiled at the man's eagerness. "I surely do hope so. I'll be checking back in to see how she's doing, and if the fighting is done, to take her back."

The man nodded; "O' course."

Demise glanced around momentarily, and then nodded in return; "I shall leave her in your care, then." Then he turned around to leave.

Lenora's body had started to take over, and was almost ready to put her mind out of action, when she felt Demise leave. Instantly, she turned around and was filled with adrenaline again. "Wh-where are you going?!" She asked frantically.

"I still have a job to do." Demise reminded her as he continued walking.

"But – but…" Lenora stammered, "… Don't go!" She took a few shaky steps forward, but stopped when Demise paused.

Demise turned and looked at her, his face as calm as ever; "I told you, you'll be safe here. The people here won't cause you any harm, and they will protect you."

"Tha's right." The old man said behind her, nodding in agreement; "You've got nothing to fear, lass."

Lenora's eyes were still anxious, and she turned them on Pariah. "Could… Could Pariah-?"

She cut off as Demise shook his head, though. "He needs to come with me for now." Pariah cawed, as if agreeing with the statement.

Lenora's breathing increased as she desperately tried to find reassurance. She could see he was about to go again, but before he turned, she called out desperately, "You'll come back! …Won't you?"

As he looked at her, Demise's expression changed into one of subtle incredulity, as well as a bit of perplexity. "… Yes; I will." He even smiled to help soothe her.

Lenora's face blossomed into relief, and her whole body relaxed. She stayed like that for a moment, and then her eyes closed as she passed out.

The green man behind her quickly reached out and caught her before she hit the ground. Demise looked at him, and his more serious attitude returned. "She's been through a lot recently; sleep will do her some good."

The man nodded, and Demise once again headed off into the woods.

* * *

"Hello Council members;" Demise said coolly, "How kind of you to drop by."

"You know we're simply checking on you." One of the hooded figures replied as they stepped out from among the dead trees.

"And I thank you for your interest." Demise rejoined, "But as I've said before, it really isn't necessary."

"We will decide what is and is not necessary." Another figure said definitively.

"…Of course." Demise responded; "… I never meant any disrespect." He gave a short bow, and Pariah flew up into the air.

"Stop parading around!" One of the female Council members exclaimed, "We are not your audience!"

"I'm only trying to give you proper regard." Demise answered, rising out of his bow; "But, what is an audience but a group who watches another? I'd say you all do that quite well."

"…Meanwhile, what are you doing backstage?" A council member with a gruff voice questioned.

Demise smiled. "Why, only what duties are fitting for me." Pariah fluttered back down and settled on his shoulder again.

One of the members nodded at the bird; "And what of your pet? What has he been up to?"

Demise raised an eyebrow; "The usual thing birds do, I suppose: searching for insects, flying around in the air, following wind currents, bothering passersby sometimes… With nothing more than simply being there, really."

"Is that all?"

"I may be able to share sight with him," Demise said, "but that does not give me access to his thoughts. And even if it did, I doubt that would allow me to influence him much."

"Yet he continues to stay around you. Why?"

"Well," Demise continued, "just as I can see through him, I'm sure he can see some things I can as well. I imagine it is less confusing if he stays in the same area as me."

"He has had plenty of time to adjust otherwise."

"And yet here he is." Demise answered; "… I've tried to explain it to you all before, but you were unwilling to listen to very much of what I had to say."

"That is because it was irrelevant," a different member replied, "and it still is so. As long as you continue taking care of your duties, what you spend your other time doing is of little consequence."

"As long as those things are within reason," another member added cautiously, "which we have discussed before."

"But of course." Demise agreed, nodding.

There was silence for a few moments before one of the council members nodded back at him. "Good." He said, and then disappeared. The others followed soon after.

"…They still can't agree on a sentence, can they?" Demise muttered to Pariah, who simply looked back at him. Demise smiled, and left the area.

* * *

Mimipede groaned as he started to regain consciousness again, as well as some aching. Quite a bit of aching, actually. He irritably opened his eyes, only to close them again as sunlight hit them. He hissed a little bit, but opened them again, although more slowly. The sunlight wasn't especially intense, but it had been enough to surprise him. As his eyes adjusted now, he noticed bars in front of his face. He frowned angrily, not remembering them having been there before. He lifted his head with a little bit of stiffness, mostly residual pain that soon dissipated. He looked around, and recognized that he was in a room in the treehouse now, no longer down in the basement. He saw three figures on the other side of the room, and it didn't take him long to guess who they were.

"… What are you three doing?" Mimipede growled contemptuously.

"Why, waiting for _you_ to wake up." Shock said cheerfully.

Mimipede did not like the sound of that. "… Why?"

"To interrogate you, stupid!" Lock retorted, and all three of them giggled.

Resentment and hatred only grew in force in Mimipede's mind. "What more do you want from me?" He snapped, "Oogie is gone, and I'm not bringing him back again! And as for Lenora," he continued, "_you three_ know the most about where she is."

They all shifted a bit uncomfortably after that, but didn't leave. "… We want to know about _you_." Barrel continued.

"Most of the stuff you told Jack was a lie." Shock said.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're good at recognizing those." Mimipede scoffed.

"Yes, we are!" Lock retorted, "And we know that _you've_ been lying for a while now!"

Mimipede sighed; he had hoped to be gone before the three kids called him out on this stuff, and usually he wouldn't have answered anyway, but they had him at a definite disadvantage currently. The cage didn't look all that hard to wrangle out of, for him, but in his injured state, he didn't think he would make it in one piece. He also thought back to how uncaring Demise had seemed about his personal plights, and how little appreciation he received for all that he did. He sneered, and then started doing a slow self-evaluation of what he could still move. "Yep; for quite a while now." He responded to the question.

The trick-or-treaters seemed taken aback that he seemed so ready to admit to things, but continued pressing forward aggressively out of habit.

"Every time you went into town, you weren't always doing things for Oogie!"

"Nope."

"You were always acting sketchy, whenever we asked about what you did!"

"Yep." He winced; that leg was still healing.

"You were always acting like you knew more than we did!"

"That's because I did."

"And what exactly _did_ you know?!"

Mimipede stopped midway through his evaluation. He used some of his front legs to turn and look at the trick-or-treaters better. He narrowed his eyes seriously. "I knew about Lenora. And that she is important to something."

They were not expecting that. They were silent for a few moments.

"… To… Jack and Sally?" Barrel questioned.

Lock hit him with his mask; "He said some_thing_, not some_one_!"

"Important to what?" Shock asked Mimipede.

Mimipede shrugged, his nonchalant attitude returning; "I don't know, but she sure has a lot of fuss made about her, doesn't she?"

The trio studied him, evaluating whether he was telling the truth or not. He had plenty of reasons to lie, in their minds, but none of them would actually do him any good. Not right now, anyway, and they knew he was smart enough to realize that.

"… Why didn't you just take her back, then?" Barrel asked.

Mimipede snorted; "Well, it's certainly didn't seem to be an easy thing to do, with her getting scared so easily; and it's not like _you all_ were any more eager to do so. Oogie didn't know about her for a long time. You had plenty of chances yourselves."

They all frowned at him, not liking the fact that he was turning the argument back against them. While they seethed, Mimipede started to self-evaluate again, this time looking back at his extremities as well. He noticed one of his legs on his right side was missing, and he frowned. There was extensive evidence of acid burns on his exoskeleton in that area, but the last he recalled, all his limbs had still been there. He tried moving some of his legs around that area, and found he could still move around it, except the leg opposite the missing one was a bit hard to work with. While his legs near his rear still functioned, they were painful to move currently. He took some deep breaths to distract himself from the pain, which was less than that had been before, but was still there. He was aware that his damaged portion looked a little bit darker than usual, but attributed it to the acid. Then, he was aware of a new sensation in his mind, like a presence had just popped up. Suddenly, he felt pushed to the side, and was a peripheral viewer of his own actions.

The trick-or-treaters saw a shadow pass over Mimipede's face, and suddenly his expression changed into frowning and confusion. "Oooohhh, my achin' head…" He looked out, and saw the trick-or-treaters staring at him; "What are y'all looking at?!" He snapped, and then gasped, holding his front legs to his mouth. "My voice…" He cleared his throat a couple of times; "My voice." He tried again, but it still sounded the same. He furrowed his brow, took a deep breath, and tried again; "_What_ is wrong…" He trailed off as he finally sounded like Oogie Boogie.

The trick-or-treaters watched him with confusion and apprehension, unsure what was going on. Mimipede turned back to them, and continued in Oogie's voice; "Is there a _problem_?" He glared around at the bars surrounding him; "Did Jack put me in here? Are you three here to bust me out?"

Lock's face hardened; "We aren't going to fall for that, Mimipede!"

"Yeah!" Barrel added, "We can see you right there!"

"_Mimipede_?!" Mimipede boomed, latching his front legs onto the bars, "Do y'all not recognize…" He trailed off as he looked at his forelimbs, and seemed to notice them for what they were. "… Oooooh, that's right; I died again." He turned his attention back to the trick-or-treaters; "Don't let my form fool you; I am Mr. Oogie Boogie. When I was burnt to ashes, my shadow left for the nearest available insect, and Mimipede here –"

He cut off with a grimace, and fell off the bars the short distance back to the ground. He twitched with some grunting sounds, and then opened his eyes again. He started talking with his normal voice; "That stupid sack is leeching off of my body! Get out of my head!" He growled, looking at nothing in particular.

More grimacing followed, and Oogie's voice responded; "No! This is mine now! End of game, Mimipede!"

The trick-or-treaters guessed that Oogie's shadow had somehow joined with Mimipede's body, but now the two of them were duking it out for control. They weren't really sure who they wanted to win, and they knew that they couldn't really do anything… So they slowly turned around and left the room, determining to come back and find out the winner later.

"No it's not!" Mimipede argued, "This is _my_ body! _You_ go find another one!"

"Nuh-uh!" Oogie's voice retorted, "No way –!" He cut off as he lifted his rear end, and collapsed with the sudden pain it incurred.

With heavy breathing, Mimipede's voice continued; "I told you… This is _my_ body… I won't be so easy to… take control of…"

There was silence for a while afterwards. Mimipede smiled tiredly, believing he had won. Then, he grimaced again, and Oogie's voice boomed triumphantly; "Ah-ha! I will win this round!"

His face twisted, and continued to do so for a little while. "No!" Mimipede uttered intermittently in his normal voice, struggling within himself. He thrashed around briefly, then cried out in pain, and collapsed on the floor. His breathing returned to normal; he was unconscious, for now.

* * *

Jack and Sally continued their search in the Hinterlands throughout the rest of the day, and into the evening. As the sun began to set, they encountered a small search pack that had been put together to look for Jack. The Mayor had been worried, since Jack hadn't checked in since going out to the treehouse, and it had been almost 24 hours since he left. Jack reassured them that he was fine, but asked that they help in the search for Lenora. To calm them down, he told them that he had taken care of the trick-or-treaters, and to not worry about them for now. He received information that Lenora was in the woods, and they needed to find her before La Llorona did. They searched into the night, and even into the dark hours of the next morning, but at that point Jack and Sally had to return to town, for they were both exhausted. The pack said they would continue until morning light, and report back when they were ready for them.

Never Jack nor Sally remembered falling asleep, but they awoke the next day back in the Skellington manor. They quickly arranged to meet with the search pack, although they discovered that the pack hadn't found anything, either. They were alone now, and discussing options. Or at least, mulling over them. Neither one of them were much in the mood for talking.

"… It _is_ possible that she came back into town without anyone noticing." Jack said, pacing; "… Albeit, she's not exactly the most skilled at sneaking… But we haven't searched since she escaped."

"But then, wouldn't she have come back here?" Sally questioned.

Jack's face fell; "I suppose… It would make more sense, anyway. Unless she's scared of something, of course, but I can't imagine why. She's slept here for months now. Well… did."

Sally's face turned in thought; "… Do you think… that maybe it's you, Jack?"

Jack paused.

"I'm sure that she loves you too, dear," Sally was quick to cover, "But… If something happened to her that heightened her fear again…"

Jack sighed, looking at her; "I understand. Why don't I go into town, and you stay here? That way, if she does come back, she'll just see you. I'll… Well, I need to check in with the Mayor and witches again anyway, and let them know how things went. I'm _not_ going to mention Oogie Boogie, though;" he said pointedly, "and if you're ever asked about it, just say that the trick-or-treaters were being unusually obnoxious."

Sally nodded, understanding the political problems mentioning Oogie could have. "And maybe… we can ask the search pack to investigate at The Doors? I noticed they looked a little bit uncomfortable when we mentioned it."

"Yes, well," Jack explained, "you know that I've asked everyone to stay away from there, hoping to avoid any further… disturbances. But yes, she could have chosen one of…" He trailed off, remembering the broken Halloween door that led the human world. "Yes," he repeated, "and I'll talk to the Mayor about it, too."

Sally nodded again; "Just… Please come back soon, Jack. I don't know how long I can stand just sitting here."

Jack embraced her; "I know, dear. I'll try to be quick." They kissed, and then he left for the Mayor's office.

* * *

So, what in the world is going on? Is Demise really just trying to help Lenora, or does he have some other plan? And what about Oogie and Mimipede?

Feedback is greatly appreciated~


	27. Chapter 27

"Well, I'm sorry to hear about Lenora, Jack," the Mayor said, "but at least you managed to track down the problem to Boogie's Boys. We can now tell the witches that their suspicions were correct, at least in part, and they won't be so upset about it anymore! Well, as much as they ever are about those three. Now more plans can start getting worked on!" The Mayor got up to go and do that himself, when Jack held out an arm to hold him back.

"Actually, Mayor," Jack said, "I need to ask you about something. Do you remember when I told you about the Halloween Door being broken?"

The Mayor furrowed his happy brow briefly; "Yes, Jack… And I've been trying to get to it, but there's just so much to do for Halloween, and the witches haven't exactly been accommodating lately! Not to mention I've had to take on some extra duties while you've been busy, and the witches are only just finally getting their shop back in horrible running order and stocked."

"So does that mean you haven't fixed it yet?" Jack questioned.

The Mayor's face switched to his distressed look. "…I'm only one person, Jack! What with all the business with the witches being unable to help for a while, and the problems with Lenora, and interviews for the sheriff position going slowly…"

Jack became more attentive; "Still no takers?"

"Well, a few possibilities," the Mayor replied, "but I've been quite busy filling in the position myself when needed, I'm afraid, not leaving a lot of time for interviewing! _You've_ been investigating, and as acting sheriff you have a right to be, but there are plenty of other things going on, too! I've been dealing with them, not to mention normal goings-on, and I… I just can't handle any more projects, Jack!"

Jack's face became more serious; "I understand, Mayor, but you recognize the gravity that the Door situation could cause –"

"Yes…" The Mayor admitted, twiddling his fingers, "Which is exactly why I've avoided talking about it around anyone among the townsfolk. They have enough to worry about for now, and I've got to keep them all organized! I just… I haven't gotten around to it, I'm afraid."

"I understand, Mayor," Jack said, "but as mayor, you also need to look out for the safety of everyone."

"I know, Jack," the Mayor said, "and I'm trying! But, really, we've never had a problem with Doors before. Very few humans have ever actually found this place, usually by accident, and certainly no one has ever come back. I'm… I'm trying to be more realistic, Jack. And what really matters to this town is Halloween, which is _only_ two months away! If the witches had been able to help earlier, I might've been able to do something, but for now…" He trailed off, still looking a bit distressed, but also not changing his mind.

Jack sighed; "Fine. …So, until then, how about I take a search pack over to the Doors and continue searching for Lenora?"

The Mayor practically choked on his breath; "What?! Jack, we've always asks everyone to stay _away_ from the Doors! Taking an entire search pack over there would be like… like…" He flailed his hands and paced, unable to come up with something; "I don't know! But it certainly wouldn't be very horrible! The townspeople talk, you know. Boundaries have got to be set!"

"But Mayor, surely you understand that this is an emergency –"

"I-" the Mayor stopped and looked at Jack, and then sighed; "I know, Jack. I'm sorry. But Lenora isn't the first missing person we've ever had. And… and we've never gone to _that_ much extreme before."

Jack furrowed his brow; "Yes, but we've never really known about the _options_ before. And-"

"Jack;" the Mayor interrupted, "… I know. But, like I said, Halloween is only two months away, and you've been a bit busy this past year, so the citizens and I have had to pick up a lot of the slack."

Jack looked confused; "And I'm sorry about that, and I _will_ make it up, but first I want to find Lenora."

The Mayor was quiet for a little bit, and then walked over and put a hand on Jack comfortingly; "I know it might be a little much to ask, Jack, but… Have you possibly considered that maybe Lenora won't be coming back?"

Jack looked at the Mayor in shock; "I… Well, I…"

"I know that you and Sally had really gotten attached to her," the Mayor continued, "and she was even starting to fit in; well try to, at least… But you and I both know that La Llorona is not forgiving, and even if Lenora managed to get to the doors, it could take months to search them all for her. And, even if you did find her… do you think she would want to come back?"

Jack remained silent as he thought about what the Mayor was saying.

"I'm not asking you to give up, Jack," the Mayor said, "but I am asking you to consider the options realistically. You can talk to the search pack about exploring more if you want, but… please wait until after Halloween to actually start anything. Think about the citizens. And, if she is still out there…" The Mayor paused, thinking of what say; "I'm sure the other holiday worlds would take good care of her if she found them."

Jack wasn't sure how to respond. He dealt with the undead on a regular basis, but… Actual loss was a totally different thing. He still didn't want to believe it, and there was still a chance that she had found the Doors, but… His scientific mind couldn't help but see the reason behind the Mayor's comments. Eventually, Jack looked at the Mayor. "… Yes, I suppose so…" He sounded a bit distant; "Would you… talk to the witches, please? Just… Let them know about things, and bring up the Door when they're ready."

The Mayor nodded; "Of course, Jack. …We all have to face reality at some time."

Jack halfheartedly nodded, and then looked away; "I'll… see you later…" He said as he left.

The Mayor watched Jack with sadness and sympathy, and then looked at a picture on his desk; "No matter how much it hurts… Reality will keep moving on." He stroked the picture lovingly, and then went about some other business he had to attend to.

* * *

Lenora came back to consciousness, and discovered that she was on her stomach in a bed. It didn't feel scratchy, or lumpy, and she felt a little bit more sensitive to the softness of the materials. She didn't remember going back to the Skellington Manor, but the treehouse was certainly not this nice. Confused, she opened her eyes, and became even more confused. She was in a short room with wood that didn't looked dilapidated, and the colors around her were soft and fairly bright, even the brown colors being warm instead of faded and distant. She tried to sit up, but her body was slow to react; when she finally did move, she felt very stiff. Her skin looked brighter than normal, and she didn't see distinct patches of dirt anymore, either. As she wondered about what was going on, she extended her arms and was partially upright when she felt small hands around her shoulders. She stiffened, freezing while looking at the pillow.

"It's all right, dearie, you're safe now." An accented female voice said close to her. Still very much confused, although the tone of voice helped calm her a little bit, Lenora turned and looked into the brown eyes of a woman with red hair pulled back into a ponytail. Instantly, Lenora relaxed more, although she still wasn't sure what was going on. She lowered herself down to her elbows, and the woman let go. Lenora now saw that the woman didn't look much taller than herself, but she certainly didn't look like a child.

Lenora furrowed her brow as she stared at her; "… Where am I?"

The woman smiled kindly; "You're in St. Patrick'stown now. I understand you might be a bit confused. You've been asleep for at least a day and a half."

Lenora looked a bit taken aback by that, and then she suddenly remembered about Demise. About falling through the void into this colorful place. About him leaving. About being alone again.

"Has… Has Demise come back yet?" Lenora asked worriedly.

"What?" The woman asked with confusion.

"The guy who was with me." Lenora explained, "He said he would come back."

The woman's gaze softened; "No, no one has come for you. Yet." She added, after seeing Lenora's expression.

"… What about a bird? With four eyes?"

The woman wrinkled her nose in confusion; "I've never seen a bird like that, I can tell you that much."

Lenora was flummoxed, and turned onto her side so she could bend towards her knees in a huddling position. As she did so, she noticed that the bandages on her arm were clean, and much tighter fitting. She idly held up her arm and looked them over, welcoming the distraction.

The woman smiled more cheerfully as she nodded towards bandages; "Your old ones were in pretty rough shape, so we changed them out for you."

Lenora lifted the blankets so that she could look and see her other bandages, which also felt newer. Then she noticed that she was wearing a light green plaid dress with no sleeves. Confused, she asked, "Where is my dress?"

"You mean the dirty rags you were running about in? Oof, I don't know _how_ you managed to stay healthy in that mess," the woman said, "but we got you changed out of 'em right quick."

"Where is it?" Lenora asked anxiously, bolting upright.

"We, ah… We're washing it for ya, dearie."

Lenora wasn't entirely comforted by the sentence, despite the smile that followed it, but she didn't really have much of a choice in accepting it. She relaxed a little bit and then stretched her arms, aware of what it felt like to be really clean again, and trying to get rid of her stiffness. "Um…" She started, looking around the room, "Do you mind if I… stretch my wings?"

The woman blinked in surprise, but quickly recovered; "Oh, o' course not! Go - go on ahead!" She stepped forward to help Lenora out of the bed. "We cleaned you up a bit as well, since we were already doing around your bandages, and then did your wings, too. Figured you wouldn't mind, ya know."

Lenora was surprised to see that the room wasn't quite as big as she thought it had been; everything seemed… shorter than it ought to be. But the room itself still looked large enough for her wings. She got standing with the help of the woman, although she was a little unbalanced at first. She held her hands for a few moments, then let go, and the woman backed up to give her space. Lenora slowly extended her wings fully. She closed her eyes and reached out her arms as she stretched, not noticing the look of wonder on the woman's face. Her wings fit within the walls, but her wingtips brushed the walls. After a moment, Lenora relaxed and let her arms drop, her wings reflexively flapping a little as she folded them back. A few items in the room shook with the resultant mini-gust, and quite a few pictures were knocked off-kilter, but only one small item fell over. Lenora still noticed, and looked apologetically at the woman. "Sorry."

The woman still had an incredulous look on her face, and Lenora mistook it for being upset about her things. "I-I'll fix it-" She started saying, walking over to the vanity, which she just noticed had a mirror on it, and was actually the right height for her to sit at. But the woman shook out of her stupor and restrained Lenora by grabbing her hand. Lenora looked back, only to see the woman smiling.

"No, lass! It'll be fine. It's just… Even with all your scrapes and things… you're lovely."

Lenora looked at the woman in surprise; no one but Sally ever called her that sincerely. As the woman squeezed her hand with a smile, Lenora couldn't help but smile, too. "…Thank you." She eventually responded.

"You're welcome, dearie." She replied warmly. She reveled in the moment, and then gave a small sigh; "I never even dreamed of seeing an angel before! And here you are, in the flesh and blood. Quite a lot of blood, actually." She gave a short chuckle at that.

Lenora's face fell, though. She had forgotten about the people here thinking she was an angel. She reflexively retracted her hands towards herself.

The woman frowned; "Are you feelin' alright?"

Lenora came back to reality. "Oh! Yes, I… I think so."

The woman pursed her lips; "Mmm. You know, I bet your stomach is lettin' you know that it hasn't been properly fed in a few days. Why don't I go get you some food?"

Lenora actually hadn't even thought about food, but it was something else for the woman to focus on. "Um, sure!"

The woman headed towards a door at one end of the room, and Lenora started following when the woman turned back; "No, that's fine dearie – you wait in here. You've been resting for a while now, but your body still has to get used to being up and about. I'll bring it to ya in here." She gestured back to the bed.

Lenora blinked. "Oh. Uh… Ok." She obediently walked over to the bed, slowly. By the time she sat down, the woman had already left and shut the door behind her. She didn't really want to stay sitting, though, and her attention was soon attracted to the curtains drawn across a window on the far end of the room, near the foot of the bed. So she scooted down the bed, the stiffness becoming a bit less as she continued to move, and stood up once she reached the end. She approached the window, and tentatively pulled back one corner to peek out.

Everything outside was still just as green as she remembered it being from her first encounter here, and she could still see the woods off to the side. There was a body of water of some sort on the opposite side, but she could only see a little bit of it from the window. The view was beautiful, although from her experience, it did lack a general spooky air. The woods could be darker, but as it was they were still darker than the rest of what she could see. That was fine with her, though.

Then she heard a small commotion on the other side of the door, and she quickly dropped the curtain and backed away a step or two. She didn't think that she was doing anything wrong, but she didn't want to take the chance. She turned and saw the woman come through the doorway, her arms full with a tray of food; Lenora wondered how she had opened the door.

"Ah, I see that you're up and moving around still. That's good!" She commented cheerfully, "Since you're out of bed, though, how about you eat at a proper table? Well, at least a decently flat surface." She set the tray down on the vanity, gesturing for Lenora to come over. Lenora was going to thank her, when she caught a sniff from the food. Suddenly, her stomach felt voracious and empty, and she had a desperate need to fill it. The next thing she knew, she was at the table, stuffing her face with whatever her hands could reach.

"Well, that's the spirit!" The woman laughed, "What an appetite like that, you should be back to health and no time! Here, why don't you sit down." She said, placing a hand on Lenora's shoulder.

Lenora paused with at least one hand full and half-way to her mouth, finally realizing what she was doing. She paused, unsure how to fix it, but her hunger was still quite powerful, so she simply sat down as instructed and continued eating. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she had had a home-cooked meal. Well, home cooked by someone who knew what they were doing, anyway. They had made things work out at the treehouse, but it was nowhere near as tasty as _this_ stuff. The woman smiled and shook her head to herself, chuckling.

"I'll go and get a few more things for you," she said, "but that'll be all for now. You have to wait for it to hit your stomach, after all!" She laughed as she patted Lenora's shoulder, and then left the room.

* * *

The next day, Lenora awoke in the morning to the smell of breakfast cooking. She hadn't had any more hunger attacks the previous day like that first one, and even after smelling the food on this morning, she was simply rather hungry. She got up out of bed, no longer very stiff, and went over to the door. Listening, she didn't hear anything going on other than the sounds of the kitchen. She waited for a little bit, wondering when the food might be ready, but soon enough her patience wore thin and she decided that it wouldn't hurt to go and peek on how things were coming along. So she opened the door, and crept out into the hallway.

Lenora was interested to notice that the hallway was of similar size to the bedroom she was in, as did the rest of the house look to be. It made sense, once she thought about it; the woman was only a little bit taller than herself, and seemed fully grown. What use was a larger house when one wasn't that big? Lenora followed her nose and her ears towards the kitchen, and as she reached the end of the hall, she peeked around the corner tentatively. She saw a man standing, roughly the same size as the woman, who had red hair and a beard. He wasn't facing her, but was facing to her right, and seemed to be speaking quietly about something. Beside him, she saw the woman working over something on the counter, although from her vantage point she couldn't tell what. Enticed by the aroma, Lenora creeped around the corner to try and get a better look.

The man was discussing something, when he paused in his conversation, sighed, and turned his head. He saw Lenora standing near the wall, and practically jumped out of his skin. "Oi!", He exclaimed, then paused to regain his breath and heartbeat.

The woman turned questioningly, and saw Lenora now plastered against the wall with a slightly fearful face. She laughed, and elbowed the man. "Don't scare the poor thing! Not her fault she can sneak up quietly."

Lenora blinked, calming down and coming away from the wall little bit; "…Did I scare you?" She asked in surprise.

The woman laughed again; "Yes, lass; you certainly gave Donnie a fright!"

The man grumbled something back, although he was staring into space, but Lenora didn't pay attention. Her face lit up; she had actually scared someone when she wasn't even trying! She looked excitedly at the man, who finally noticed, and looked at her perplexedly. "… What're you so happy about?" He asked.

Lenora remembered that she wasn't in Halloweentown anymore, and scaring wasn't normal. But she only toned down her enthusiasm a little bit; "Oh! I… I was just seeing what she was making for breakfast."

"Well, you're a bit late for that, I'm afraid;" the woman said, "but I knew you would be waking up at some point wanting food again. So I figured I would fix up a big brunch for us. I was going to invite you to eat with us out here, if you were awake, but I suppose you've come on out yourself! Just in time, too; it's almost done. Donnie; get the plates out, will you?"

Lenora watched the man go to a side of the kitchen with some cupboards and get out three plates. She then watched him take them across to a table and set them out. Then she watched him go back and open a different cupboard with glasses in it. As he got them out, she walked over; "Can I help?" She asked.

The woman laughed as she continued working with whatever was in front of her; "No, dearie, there's no need for that! We're here to help you, remember?" As she was saying the words, though, Donnie gave Lenora a glass and pointed towards the table. Lenora looked between the two people for a moment, and then obediently took the glass to the table, setting it down. He followed soon after with a few other things in his hand. "What? Donnie!" The woman scolded offhandedly as she put food into bowls. "She's not even all the way better yet, and you're already puttin' her to work?"

"She's the one who offered, dear." He responded. He set out some things, and then smiled at Lenora. "Thank you; " he said, looked at her for a moment, and then gestured at a seat; "…Go ahead and sit down."

He walked back over to the woman, grabbed a few bowls, and whispered to her; "What was her name again?"

The woman looked at him for a moment, trying to think, and then realized that she hadn't any idea. "Oh!" She exclaimed, "That's right; we haven't done proper introductions yet!" She grabbed a bowl herself, and went over to the table. "I'm sorry, dearie," she said to Lenora apologetically, "it seems I've forgotten to give you our names yet. I'm Marie, and my husband here is Donnie." She said, gesturing. Donnie smiled as he finished putting things on the table.

Lenora's stomach longed for food, but she could handle it well enough to keep her manners. "I'm Lenora." She responded, and forced herself to continue despite her desire to grab a plate; "Thank you for being so horri… I mean, helping me so much."

Marie smiled at her a bit oddly; "It's no trouble at all, really. Now, I can see that you're nearly as hungry as you were yesterday, so let's begin!"

* * *

After the brunch had been finished, and things put away, Lenora sat on their couch, and they sat in chairs across from her. Lenora asked them to explain St. Patrick's Day to her, and upon seeing their shocked faces, explained that she hadn't had a chance to learn very much yet, and holidays weren't really a big thing where she came from. Of course, both Marie and Donnie were happy to share their beloved holiday with the girl, explaining that they were leprechauns and how green was a very special and predominant color to everyone. Lenora was interested; for a while. Eventually, though, she managed to get the conversation to move on; especially once she asked if she could try some of the briefly discussed 'beer'. They were even the ones to change the subject after that.

"So, I take it that you're feeling a lot better?" Marie asked Lenora.

Lenora nodded; "I don't even feel that stiff anymore." She looked to the side briefly at a window that had its curtains closed; Lenora was used to that from Halloweentown, where some of the creatures couldn't stand much sunlight. They always kept the curtains drawn in the classrooms, too, although some were not very good at blocking the sun. "Can I go outside later?"

The couple looked at her in shock for a moment, mostly because they hadn't been expecting the question, but they recovered soon enough. Glancing at each other briefly, Donnie started; "Well, I suppose if you're feeling better …"

"But first we're going to have to get you somethin' else to wear;" Marie interjected, "You've only got a nightgown on right now!"

Lenora looked down at her dress, still the plaid sleeveless, and briefly wondered what exactly made a night-time dress different than a normal one? Moving on, she then looked back at Marie; "My dress should be clean by now, right?"

There was a pause after that sentence, but Marie quickly filled it; "Well, yes, but…" She sighed; "It really wasn't in the best of shape when you got here, you know, and cleaning didn't help everything. I'm repairing it right now, but… it isn't quite ready yet."

Lenora's face twisted a little bit in worry, but at least Marie hadn't gotten rid of her dress, which she had considered happening. She understood that she was trying to help. "… Okay."

"In the meantime, though," Marie continued more cheerily, "you can go look through some dresses of mine."

Lenora furrowed her brows. "But… they're _yours_."

"Aye, and they'll fit you just fine!" Marie replied; "I can even get out some old things I don't fit in so well any more, and we can fit 'em to you!"

"Um…" Lenora looked worriedly at her wings.

"A couple of slits in the back, and your wings'll fit fine." Donnie said.

"What, are you jokin'?" Marie retorted, "It'll take a bit more than that to make things fit properly. Thankfully, her dress already has the right idea in it – I'll just have to make it work with somethin' else."

"You don't have to do all of that!" Lenora interjected worriedly, "Not just for me."

Marie waved her hand dismissingly; "Nonsense; I wasn't sure what to do for you when you first got here, but I managed to clip a nightgown down far enough in the back for you with only a few tries. If I have a plan in front of me, I'm sure I can get something together that'll work just fine."

Lenora looked at Marie's positive face for a moment before finally nodding; "Alright; if… If you're sure."

"Of course I am, dearie." Marie said confidently as she got up; "Now, why don't we go ahead and look for something for ya?" She extended her hand openly, and Lenora eventually got up and took it. Marie happily led her back into a different bedroom, and Donnie sat back in his chair and sighed.

* * *

Lenora had opened the curtains in her bedroom and was looking out the window, leaning on the sill. She hadn't opened up the window pane yet, but she was thinking about it. It didn't look especially difficult, especially since it was at a size she could handle easily, and it didn't look locked. Marie had taken some measurements of her wings, and was working on a dress that they picked out together. Lenora didn't really mind one way or another, honestly, so Marie had done most of the picking, but it had still been nice to have been asked about it.

She had been watching outside for a while now, though, and hadn't really seen much activity of any sort. She was used to that in Halloweentown, but with all the birds she saw in the forest before, she thought that maybe this place ought to be more… lively. But she hadn't seen much change other than the direction of the shadows. Even watching the little piece of water hadn't shown any movement. Of course, she didn't know if that was normal for water or not. The colors were mesmerizing, but could only hold her attention as it was for so long. She saw a breeze ruffled the grass, and wanted to feel it. She sighed, and then decided that it ought to be alright to open the window. She unlatched it, and pushed outward, the glass moving smoothly under her direction.

As she leaned a little out the window, she felt a light breeze across her skin. Since she no longer had a layer of dirt between herself and the feeling, Lenora paused as a chill ran up her spine, but in a good way. She smiled, and stuck her head out the window. That didn't really change very much of what she saw, though, as she could only go so far; so she moved her wings little bit and put her shoulders and tops of her wings out of the window as well. She leaned heavily on her arms, as they supported her on the sill. She saw quite a bit more now, and the water which she had only seen a corner of before now spread out into more of a lake in her view. At least, she assumed was a lake – that was what large bodies of water were called, right? There was a lake at Halloweentown, but it always looked dark and murky, and had some unpleasant smells come from it, so she generally stayed away from it. But this one, here… It looked positively bright! She couldn't see the entire thing, but what she saw was very smooth, and looked wonderfully alive. Without the glass, the woods looked even darker, and deeper, but there was hidden warmth to it… As if the trees were merely offering shade instead of providing a hiding place. And even though she still couldn't see very much moving around, she could now hear birds singing, which considerably lightened her spirits.

As much fun as it was to look out the window while leaning on her arms, it was also a bit tiring. Eventually, she lowered her arms and rested on her chin, her wings back inside. Even though not much of the scene had changed, the atmosphere had once she opened the windows. Things were calm, but not eerily silent anymore. She was used to the eeriness, mostly, but she enjoyed the non-creepiness, and the fact that she could enjoy the outside without risking harassment. She closed her eyes for a little bit, appreciating the feeling.

When she opened her eyes, she noticed something a little bit different about one part of the woods. Focusing a little better, she thought she saw a humanlike figure standing among the trees at the edge. It had dark hair, but she couldn't see very much else…

Suddenly, the door opened, and Marie came in. Lenora bolted up and turned around. "Well, I've got a good start on it, but it will be a little bit before-" Marie stopped when she saw the open window, and hurriedly came over; "Lenora! You got to keep the windows closed! You… You might catch cold!" She said anxiously as she shut the window, and closed the curtains.

Lenora looked at her perplexedly; "But… it's not even cold outside."

"How long have you had the window open?"

Lenora worriedly shrugged; "Not _too_ long; and I just had the curtains opened before that."

Marie pursed her lips; "How long?"

Lenora fidgeted uncomfortably; "Um… Since I got back…"

Marie looked at her sternly; "You've got to keep the windows _closed_, dearie. We've got to be careful!"

Lenora looked down and felt rather guilty; "I-I'm sorry, M-Marie… I didn't _mean_ to… to…"

Marie's face melted into sympathy as she watched Lenora fumble for forgiveness, and quickly embraced her in a hug; "I know, and I'm sorry for gettin' all upset about it. You didn't know." Before Lenora could properly react, or even think about returning the hug, Marie let go; "Just be sure to keep 'em closed for now, all right?"

"… Even the curtains?" Lenora asked; there wasn't a whole lot outside, but it had more life than she was used to around, and she liked it. Albeit inside here was nice, as were the colorful decorations, but… it wasn't the same.

"Even the curtains, I'm afraid." Marie replied; "Drafts don't always stop with the glass."

"Okay…" Lenora said unhappily.

Marie sighed; "… Do you want to come and help me finish your new dress?" Marie asked her.

Lenora looked up, interested and distracted; "… Would you mind?"

Marie laughed; "Would I have offered if I did?"

Lenora smiled, then followed Marie as they left the room.

* * *

"And what are you doing so close to the edge of the forest?"

The dark-haired youth turned around to see an older green man with a green beard standing further in the trees behind him. "I… I heard that there was an angel was staying over here."

The man raised an eyebrow; "And you thought you might get to see her?"

The lad averted his gaze; "Well…"

The man sighed and came up beside the boy, setting a hand on his shoulder; "She's still recovering, you know, and I don't think you're likely to see her for a while. You're not even supposed to know she _is_ here." He stared at the boy for a moment, and then asked, "Does anyone else know?"

He shook his head; "And I won't say anything."

The man smiled, patting his shoulder; "That's a good lad. Now, it's awful early for you to be up and about; why not head back and get some rest?"

The youth took one last look over his shoulder at the cottage behind him, and then nodded, although disappointedly. Then they both disappeared into the trees.

* * *

The next day, Lenora and Marie finished up working on the dress, washed it, and hung it to dry near the house. Marie had seemed a bit fretful while they were out, but Lenora assumed it was because she herself was a little wet still from helping wash. Lenora had tried moving slowly so they could stay out longer, for the grass was really quite wonderful under her feet, but Marie had them out and back in rather quickly. A little while later, Marie said that she needed to go to town to get some more material to help patch up Lenora's original dress.

"Can I come?" Lenora asked.

"No;" Marie responded quickly, then continued with, "You still got nothing to wear other than the nightie, dearie."

"But we just have to wait for the other dress to dry for a little bit." Lenora pouted, "It shouldn't take _that_ long."

"Well, as much as that would be nice," Marie replied, "I thought you wanted your own dress done as soon as possible."

"Well, I… I do." Lenora answered slowly, "But I'd like to go outside, too."

Marie looked at her for a few moments, contemplating, and then said, "How about we talk about it when I get back?"

Lenora's face scrunched in disappointment, but she eventually accepted the terms; "… Okay."

Marie looked at Lenora with some pity, and rubbed Lenora's arm comfortingly; "Lenora, I know you want to go explore, but you've got to stay inside for just a little bit longer, alright?"

Lenora nodded; she didn't want to necessarily 'explore' anything, she just wanted to be out in the sun for a while, since that was possible here. However, the general idea was the same, so she just went along with it. Marie smiled, hugged her, and turned towards the door. "I'll be back later today, and then we can finish up your dress. By that time, your new one should be dry as well!" She said as she headed out; "G'bye, dearie!"

Lenora heard her say goodbye to Donnie as well, some muffled exchange of words, and then the main door closed. Lenora looked longingly at the closed curtains, and looked over to the vanity where a bit of cross stitching lay. Lenora had learned a little about sewing from Sally before, and since she had seemed interested in the dress making process, Marie also introduced her to cross stitching. Lenora had pretty much overcome her fears about needles back in Halloweentown, at least small ones, and regarding fabric she no longer felt much trepidation about them at all. However, she did it still have a lot to learn about sewing. She had tried some cross stitching the day before, but hadn't gotten very far with it. However, she had a bit of time to kill now; she might as well try again.

Later that afternoon, Lenora lay on the floor staring up at the ceiling in her room, her wings spread somewhat beneath her. She had gotten about halfway through the cross stitching project, but her hands were tired and she didn't want to look at it anymore. Not right now, anyway. She had already explored the house over the past day or two, and she knew that now, all she wanted was to be outside. Then she remembered about the dress, and how it had still been drying outside. Surely, it ought to be done by now. She sat up. If she just went out to get the dress… That wouldn't be so bad, would it? And she was actually physically feeling better than she had in a long time. With just that little bit of logic, Lenora got up and left the room.

As she approached one of the side doors, she looked around for Donnie. She didn't see him. Despite the fact that she told herself repeatedly that it was perfectly fine for her just to pop out and get dress, she found herself sneaking over to the door quietly. The door opened silently for her, and she slipped out, closing the door behind her.

She stayed standing on the other side of the door for a while, looking out and around her at the green grass. The laundry line connected to the house, and ended a number of yards away with a pole. The dress was clipped near the end towards the pole. Farther on the other side of the pole was the forest. The trees looked even bigger now that she was outside, and didn't have Marie there with her. But she was too distracted by the newness of everything to be frightened; that, and it wasn't a newness that attempted to creep up or surprise her, but just was simply there. The colors were lively, like the ones inside the house, although instead of being warm and homely, the colors out here were vivacious and exciting.

As she slowly walked over to the dress, grass cushioned her feet, and even the earth beneath it seemed inviting. She reached the dress, felt that it was dry, and reached up to undo the clothespins. One nice thing about Marie and Donnie being the same size as her was that she didn't have to worry about the height of anything. She undid one of them, but as she reached for the other, she glanced upward and was mesmerized by the bright blue of the sky, punctuated by a few white clouds. She didn't know how long she stared upwards at that, but eventually her muscles told her that she needed to move, for the position she held was not the most comfortable to hold for long. She shook her head and undid the second clothespin, but she was just disoriented enough that she didn't quite catch the dress as it fell. The dress itself was plenty dry, she knew, so she didn't worry about it too much. She bent down and grasped the dress, and then was similarly mesmerized by the grass, now much nearer to her face. She extended one hand, and brushed it across the grass; the feeling made her smile. She looked over back to the doorway; there was no movement inside. She looked back down at the grass, and figured that if she was already so close, it wouldn't hurt just to sit down in it for a while…

* * *

The next thing Lenora was aware of, she heard yelling inside of the house. She opened her eyes and bolted upright, looking for the source, unaware that she had even been lying down. She didn't see anything in the windows, but this was only one side of the house. She had the dress in her hands still, and quickly started getting up. Before she was entirely up though, the door opened and Marie was standing in the doorway, looking rather frantic. She saw Lenora, and for a moment, Lenora saw fear and worry in her face like she had seen in Sally's a few times. It quickly changed to relief as Lenora finished getting up, and Marie hurried out to Lenora, gripping her in a tight hug. "Lenora! Oh, you had us so _worried,_ child!" She released her grip partially, letting Lenora breathe again, and looked her over quickly; "Are you all right? Did anything happen?" Before Lenora could respond, though, she grabbed Lenora's hand in hers, grabbing the dress with the other, and speedily brought her back inside, closing the door behind them.

Donnie was nearby, and although his face was calm, relief was also evident in his brow and body posture. "See? I told you she would be just fine." He muttered through his pipe.

"Don't you say such a thing to me!" Marie retorted at him sharply, "You were the one watching her!" Before he had a chance to reply, she turned back to Lenora and hugged her again. When she pulled away, she stroked Lenora's hair and asked again, "Are you all right, dearie? Anything happen to you?"

Lenora felt guilt welling up inside of her as she looked at Marie's face, and she shook her head; "N-no… Nothing happened. I'm fine, I just…" She looked away; "I just went outside to get the dress, and the grass felt so nice…"

Marie's face softened as she understood, but she continued with the questions anyway; "Did anybody see you?"

Lenora sniffed and looked at her with some confusion, but shook her head again; "No… I didn't see anyone, not even any animals. I heard some birds, but…"

"But what?"

"But that was it." Lenora concluded softly.

Marie hugged her again and sighed; "Oh, thank the heavens for that."

Lenora still felt very guilty, but before she would let her emotions take over, her curiosity came first; "… Why?"

"Why what, dearie?"

"Why are you worried about someone seeing me?"

Lenora felt Marie stiffen a little, and as Marie pulled back, her face was much less sympathetic looking; "Well, you see…. Ah, you're-" she paused mid-thought, looking at Lenora, unsure what to say. Lenora calmed down some as she waited. Marie let go of Lenora and scratched her head subconsciously with one hand. "Well, with you just coming back from the demons, we need to be careful with ya. _You_ need to be safe."

Lenora frowned at the mention of the demons again; she remembered the story, but she really didn't like it. In her mind, that made Lock, Shock, and Barrel the demons, and she didn't think they were. They were just… they just had some problems. They were from Halloweentown, after all – and it wasn't _their_ fault that Oogie Boogie was using them…

Marie misunderstood Lenora's frowning as confusion, though. She sighed and rolled her eyes; "Oh, dash it all! We're keeping you safe by hiding you out here in our home. Nobody else knows that you're out here except a few people; all the rest think you're staying at a place back in town."

Lenora's eyes widened a bit at that; "You mean… you're… lying?"

"Only for your safety, dearie." Marie continued earnestly; "We're plannin' on telling everyone once the situation calms down. We wanted you to be safe, and have a bit of private time to recover. Once the others know that you're here, they… Well, they aren't likely to leave you alone for long."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… it's not exactly like we have an angel stop by every day;" Marie said; "You're kind-of the talk of the town. Everyone wants to see you."

"…W-what?" Lenora stuttered incredulously. She had been well-known in Halloweentown, but she assumed that was because everyone wanted to scare her, or poke fun at her. Now, here in St. Patrick'stown, everyone wanted to meet her… just to see her? If they were anything like Marie and Donnie, then that seemed likely, and Demise had said that no one wanted to scare her here. But… he had also said he would come back, and he hadn't yet…

"Everything else we've told you is true, I can promise you." Marie continued, worried about Lenora's not-changed expression; "We truly care for you, and want you to be safe. I also really bought the material for your dress; it's over in the other room. I set it down when we were lookin' for you."

Lenora looked in the direction she pointed, although she knew she couldn't see anything from where she was. She believe Marie, but… There was just a lot going on in her brain right now. Her face fell into a calm expression, but her eyes were a little out of focus. Marie was glad that she no longer looked distressed, but was a bit worried still.

"I also said that we would talk about you goin' outside when I got back, remember?" Lenora looked dully at her and nodded; "Would you want to talk about that now?" Lenora didn't really respond, so Marie just went on anyway; "I talked a little to the few in town who know where you are, about you goin' outside, and they said that if we watched you, and you stayed close to the house, and you weren't out for too long, that should be fine.

Lenora took a moment to register what she had said, but once she did, her eyes lit up again; "So… I can go outside?"

Marie's face relaxed a bit; "Only sometimes, but yes. And one of us has to be out with you." She added, glancing pointedly at Donnie. He lifted a book higher in front of his face. Lenora didn't remember him having that before, but she didn't really care at the moment, either.

Lenora had a great mixture of emotions right now. She was excited that she could go outside now, even if just for a little bit. But… her confidence had been a bit shaken by what else she had learned. She had argued against lying when Demise wanted to, but he had convinced her to go along with it. Now here was Marie, also lying to people about her, but for her safety, she said. If Demise was lying to help protect her, then… wasn't that for her safety, too? Despite the misgivings she still had about lying, Lenora became a little less anxious about the lies surrounding her. However, she still worried about what was told to her. Lenora's shoulders slumped a little, and she asked; "…Why didn't you just tell me before? About hiding me?"

Marie looked pained as she glanced at Donnie, then looked at Lenora; "…I… We didn't want to worry you, dearie." She rubbed Lenora's shoulder; "You've only been here a short time, and I didn't want you to have to think about an entire town watching for you, as well as learning about a new place, and everything else. You understand?"

Lenora stayed silent for a little bit, then replied, "I think so…"

Marie smiled in relief, and hugged her again; "I'm sorry, Lenora. I won't lie to you again."

Lenora returned the hug, and pushed aside the paranoia starting in her mind. She knew that Marie was just doing what she thought was best.

Marie pulled out of the hug smiling; "Alright; what say you go get on your new dress?" Lenora nodded. "Then after, you can help me finish fixing up your own dress."

Lenora smiled; "Ok."

* * *

So, Lenora's now in St. Patrick'stown! Well, not exactly _in_ town, but close enough. She's learning plenty, too. But, is all of it good?

Thank you for reading.


	28. Chapter 28

The next day, only a few more things had to be finished on her old dress. However, Lenora was too distracted to be able to focus on helping very much. She looked longingly at windows, even with their closed curtains, and thought about how nice it must be outside. When she had been out, there weren't any sharp things or sticky puddles to get caught in, the ground was warm, and there hadn't been another creature in sight. In Halloweentown, even though she had been outside much of the time because she was skipping school, her time had been anything but free. She had figured out the hard way which nooks and crannies in town were more visited than others, and had often simply waited things out in specific corners that weren't used much. She spent most of her time hiding, because she didn't want to be taken back to school, and although not all of the citizens really _tried_ to scare her all the time, she was jumpy enough that they usually did anyway. So while she hid, Lenora would watch the townspeople go about their business, trying to draw as little attention as possible. Here, though, Lenora could run around and not worry about getting scared, or getting sent anywhere, or anything! She wouldn't mind seeing other creatures around, but their absence didn't bother her, either. Now that she had the option of going outside, she wanted to so much, but because of the previous day's incident, she was scared to ask so soon. So she half-helped Marie, and daydreamed.

Marie noticed, though, and guessed what was occupying Lenora's thoughts. Eventually, after the third time Lenora dropped the scissors, she asked Lenora if she'd like to go outside with Donnie. Lenora's face lit up, and soon enough he agreed, and she excitedly dashed through the rooms to the main door. He hurried to catch up with her before she went outside, and she still remembered the other day, so she did wait for him, albeit a bit impatiently. He got within arm's length of her whenever she thought he was close enough, and opened the door and bounded outside. She stopped a little ways from the house and looked up, seeing some of the blue sky she seen the previous day, although there seemed to be more clouds than before. However, she didn't mind, and smiled up at the sky.

"Remember to stay close to the house!" Donnie told her as he closed the door behind him, "And stay within my sight. I can't go running off after you."

Lenora hadn't heard the first part, but noticed him speaking and was actually listening after 'house', so she understood what he was saying. She looked at him with a smile still and nodded.

"And…" Donnie continued, a little more cautiously, "No flying right now, I'm afraid. You're not used to the wind here, or anything else, really."

Lenora's face blanked for a moment, and then she recalled that they didn't know she couldn't really fly; "O-oh; that won't… um… Okay!" Donnie looked at her a bit oddly, but before he could ask any questions, Lenora turned around and ran off on the grass. He sighed and started walking after her, leaning slightly on his cane as he did so. He wasn't old, he thought, but he certainly wasn't as young as he once was.

Lenora spent a bit of time just running around in circles, feeling the grass under her feet and breeze on her face, keeping her wings closed. After she got tired of that, she flopped onto the ground and just enjoyed the feeling of grass around her. The sun wasn't as strong as the other day, but she didn't think it felt all that cold, either. She tried out all sorts of different positions to lie down in, sometimes with her wings out, and sometimes not. She then sat up and made patterns in the grass with her hands. Sometimes she would put her whole body into it, as she weaved back and forth along the ground. She got in some good stretching, too. Occasionally she would look out and stare at the lake that was within sight from the house, but it looked too far for her to be allowed to go yet. She was still distracted enough with the grass that she didn't mind, though.

Donnie watched her from not far away, on top of a small hill, and couldn't help but smile at her innocent revelry. He couldn't remember the last time he had just gone outside to appreciate where he lived. Looking up at the sky, he could tell that it was probably going to rain later; but for now, Lenora could enjoy herself outside. It hadn't rained since she had arrived; which was pretty good in his mind. Still, as annoying as he sometimes found the rain to be, it was what gave everything such vivacity. That, and the inherent magic everywhere, which also helped keep the skies fairly clear for a portion of time. He supposed he would miss it a little bit if he lived further down in the actual Underground, among the more powerful Tuatha De Danann. The courts there were said to never see rain, unless one of the gods wished it. He'd hate to be around if there was an argument over the action.

He turned his head and looked at the forest. It seemed calm as usual, but then he saw some figures emerge. One was a Green Man, whom he recognized as his friend Darach; the other was a tall, dark haired fellow with a black cloak. Donnie furrowed his brow; all the locals wore at least a little bit of green visibly. A raven or crow rode on the man's shoulder, as dark as his hair. Donnie turned warily and called out to Lenora; "… Lenora! I think we best be getting back now."

Lenora perked up at her name, but her countenance fell when she heard what he said; "Bu… Already?"

Donnie had on a serious face, and motioned for her to come with him. He then turned and started going back. Lenora waited a few moments, thinking about staying just a little bit longer; he might take a little while to get to the door, and maybe she could just…

"Lenora!"

Lenora was up and running to catching up with Donnie, no more questions. They soon reached the house, and Donnie ushered her inside. He closed the door behind them, and turned to Lenora; "Now, I need you to go to… the room you're staying in, and make sure that your window and curtains are closed."

Lenora looked at him a bit oddly; "Why?"

"Just… Please do it. And, could you tell Marie I need to talk to her on your way?"

Lenora frowned, for she didn't like what that portended, but she nodded anyway and went on. She hoped it wasn't something she'd done, although she couldn't think of anything. She found Marie still working on her old dress, and looked up when Lenora came in; "Oh good, dearie, I'm nearly done with it!"

"Donnie says he needs to talk to you." Lenora relayed, her voice betraying some of her apprehension.

Marie looked at her quizzically; "Oh does he? Did he say what about?"

Lenora shook her head, then looked over her shoulder around her wings, and left, to finish doing what she'd been asked. Marie set her stuff down at that, quite confused now. Sure, Lenora seemed somewhat quiet and withdrawn, but she normally wasn't this… she wasn't sure what to call it. Perhaps she was worried about what Donnie had to say; but why would she? Marie got up and went to find out what Donnie wanted to talk about.

Marie found Donnie still standing by the door, looking out the window by lifting up its curtains a little. Marie announced her presence with, "What is it you 'need', dear?"

Donnie still jumped a little, but she knew he was always jumpier now than he used to be. He turned to her and spoke in low tones; "There's a stranger dressed in black that came out of the forest with Darach. He had a black bird with him, too."

Marie stiffened; "… Did they see Lenora?"

"…Possibly." Donnie replied, "But they were at a distance, so it would have been hard to tell if her wings were part of her dress or not. She had them closed up by that point."

"Why were you just looking out the window?"

"To see if they were coming!"

"Well are they?"

"They weren't last I checked;" Donnie said, but instantly turned and checked again. Marie couldn't help but check with him as well. They saw the two walking on the grass.

Both Donnie and Marie dropped the curtains and backed away, and started frantically whispering to each other.

"Why is Darach bringing him here?"

"I don't know! And are you sure that's a man? His hair seems quite long."

"What? That doesn't matter!"

"It could! Perhaps they're just coming for a visit."

"When has Darach ever come over uninvited?"

"Well there's a first time for everything!"

"I don't think _now_ would be the best time for that, and he knows it! He's one of the few who actually knows about Lenora; why would he bring someone else here?"

"Well maybe they're not coming _here_, exactly; maybe they're on their way into town."

"Why would they go this way? Did you see which way they were walking?"

"No! You saw them first!"

Suddenly a new voice entered the conversation; "Saw who first?"

Both of them jumped and stopped talking, looking over to see Lenora walking over to them. She had a curious look on her face. "Oh; what are you doing, Lenora?" Marie asked.

Lenora blinked; "My window and curtains are closed. Donnie wanted to make sure that they were, so I'm telling you that they are." She looked at the closed curtains; "… Are there people outside?"

Marie and Donnie looked at each other briefly, and then Marie put a hand on Lenora's shoulder; "Yes, dearie; one of them already knows about you, but we don't know who the other one is."

Lenora's face lit up a little bit; "Can I see?"

Both Marie and Donnie answered simultaneously; "No."

Lenora frowned, but Marie quickly reassured her; "I told you I wouldn't lie, and I'm not; we don't know this new person, and we want to keep you safe. So please, go back to your room and close the door. We'll let you know when it's safer."

Lenora looked at her, hesitating. Eventually, she nodded; "… Okay."

Marie smiled and hugged her, then watched her go to her room. Both she and Donnie listened, and breathed a sigh of relief when they heard her door close. They worriedly looked at each other, wondering what they ought to do. They hoped that they wouldn't have to worry about anything, that the two outside would move on… But then they heard a knock on the door.

* * *

Mimipede was in the forest, crawling away from the treehouse at a slightly slow pace. He knew the trick-or-treaters wouldn't wait around forever. They had left him in the cage for days, and seemed to have forgotten about him. But he knew it was only a matter of time before they came back.

"Do you even know where you're goin'?"

Oogie's voice came unbidden from his mouth. Mimipede could hear him inside his head anyway, and Oogie knew it; they both could hear the others' thoughts. But, Mimipede thought, Oogie didn't seem to care about quiet.

"Of course I don't care!" Oogie retorted, "I deserve to use this mouth just as much as you do, if not more!"

"Well use it quieter!" Mimipede hissed back, glaring at the trees as he passed by them; "We're not free from earshot yet, you know. We both know that if the little demons hear us, they'd be on our tail with the tub. With these acid burns, I'm not exactly as limber as I used to be."

"Yeah, I noticed." Oogie grumbled.

After waking to find both of them still in the same body, Mimipede had explained to Oogie earlier how much dislike there was between himself and the trick-or-treaters, and about the numerous times it was evident. Oogie had seen and understood, and although he hated not being in charge, he'd conceded that letting the kids torture this body would be more humiliating than cooperating to escape. So Oogie let Mimipede have enough control over the body to maneuver them out of the cage. Oogie had immediately tried taking over again, but the resultant throes of struggle frustrated Mimipede into letting Oogie have more control. Oogie then managed to get them close to a window, and even out of it without causing too much noise; but once they saw the rest of the tree and what it would take to get down, Mimipede had irately asked Oogie if he wanted to fall down to their deaths, or let him take control again. Oogie hesitated, but when Mimipede tried taking control, Oogie let him. They were now in the trees, and both trying to awkwardly 'share' control of the body, which slowed their progress.

"Why don't I just take-" Oogie started, vying for more control and turning to the left.

"Careful!" Mimipede snapped, giving more control so as to avoid hitting a tree. They stopped after that, breathing heavily at the narrow escape.

"…Well if you would just let me-" Oogie started again, when Mimipede cut him off.

"No!" Mimipede retorted, "You haven't any idea how to work this body and I'm injured as well, so that makes it even more difficult to work with!"

"And how am I supposed to learn if you keep shovin' me off?!" Oogie shot back.

"You _aren't_!" Mimipede growled, "You aren't even supposed to be here!"

"Well tough luck!" Oogie replied, "'Cause I'm not goin' _anywhere_!"

The two threw Mimipede's body into another set of throes as they fought for control, but paused after a few moments. Mimipede silently brought up the fact that they didn't want to lose consciousness still so close to the treehouse. There was much glaring within their minds, but Mimipede was the first to shove it to the side.

"Look, we just need to get away from here right now; the fastest way to do that will be to let _me_ have control. And if we stop arguing about it, you could still observe how I do it." Mimipede said in a low voice.

There was silence for a moment as Oogie brooded; "…Fine. But I say where we go."

"Fine. Where?"

"The lake. It's on the other side of town, but we can go around to it through the forest."

Mimipede fumed a little in his mind; Oogie knew that Mimipede didn't really know how to get there. Thus Oogie still had some bit of control over where they went. But Mimipede knew that was the only way to get them both to safety, and since they only had the one body to do it with, it would have to do.

"…Fine. Let's go."

With that, Mimipede set off through the trees again.

* * *

Donnie was nearest the door, and he looked at Marie anxiously. She looked at him, then at the door, frantically trying to think of what to do. After a moment, the knock came again. Marie panicked and flapped her hands at Donnie, indicating for him to open the door. He made confused and shocked gestures, although mostly remained silent; she just pointed more insistently and glared at him. Donnie still showed some reluctance, but with a shove from his wife, he reached for the handle and turned it.

He opened the door to find Darach leaning down a little bit, for the top of the door only reached his chest, and looking at him with his kindly eyes. But there was a sharpness to his look; like he was ready to take action should anything happen; "Hello Donnie;" Darach began, "Is the young one around?"

There was silence for a long second, when Marie spoke up as she came forward; "Y-you mean our niece? Yes, she's out here visiting us for a while." She grinned widely; "She's a fine young lass, indeed. She's been helpin' me with sewing up a few things."

Darach frowned a little bit, and looked like he was about to say more, when the other person with him leaned down and spoke; "Oh? What's her name?"

Donnie frowned, not liking the fact that this new man's hair covered nearly half his face, and he had no beard to speak of. But, so as not to be suspicious, he did try not to be too gruff when he asked, "And who are you?"

The man smiled and gave a bow; "Do forgive me; I am Demise." Some odd looks from Marie and Donnie followed. Donnie narrowed his eyes and noticed that the bird was absent from… 'Demise's' shoulder, but didn't want to point it out because that would prove that he had seen them before. "Could I see this girl?" Demise continued, "She sounds quite charming."

Donnie and Marie glanced at each other very briefly before Marie interjected; "I-I'm afraid not. You see, she's… not exactly the healthiest girl, and she's currently in bed, for it seems that she's fatigued herself."

"Oh; I'm sorry to hear that." Demise said sympathetically, and his face mirrored the emotion, but as he looked at Marie, she couldn't help but feel quite uncomfortable. She attributed it to her paranoia.

Darach looked rather confused, and a bit irate at being left out of the conversation so suddenly when his first question hadn't seemed to be answered; "I don't know about your relatives, but we are here to see the young angel." Both Marie and Donnie instantly tensed up at that, shocked that he would say it so plainly, and Darach continued before they could protest; "This is the man who brought her to me."

The couple was stunned into silence for a few moments, which actually felt like quite a while, but Marie recovered first; "Wh… Why don't you two come on in?" Donnie was still in shock, but when Marie elbowed him, he moved out of the way. Both of the men had to duck to enter, but once they were inside, they could stand up alright.

Donnie closed the door while Marie led them to a sitting area. Albeit, their seating was more child sized, as they themselves were, but their couch could still accommodate larger beings, and Marie offered it. However, both Darach and Demise politely refused. Donnie came over by that point, and sat himself in a chair. Marie thought it was rude to sit while the company was standing, whoever their company was, but she also knew that Donnie preferred to sit. She couldn't exactly scold him about it currently, so she simply did likewise in an adjoining chair.

"So…" Marie began after an awkward silence, wanting to get conversation going, "What brings you two here today?"

"I've already said," Darach replied, "we're here to see the young angel. She _is_ still here, right?" Both Donnie and Marie avoided eye contact and mumbled half-hearted attempts at words. Darach frowned; "If she's not, we'll look elsewhere."

Immediately, the couple protested; "No! No, she's…" They trailed off as they realized they were both talking simultaneously.

Marie sighed and finished the thought; "She's still here. She's the… the 'niece' I mentioned just now." No one responded, and Marie felt the need to explain, quickly adding, "Well I wasn't sure who this new friend o' yours was, and it's not exactly like we're trying to tell the world that we have her here!"

Darach held up a hand; "I understand, Marie; it's fine. Demise just wants to make sure that she's bein' taken care of properly." He glanced at Demise as he said this, a somewhat analyzing expression on his face; "Although I assured him that she is. He also said he needed to tell her something."

Demise didn't seem to notice Darach's look; "Is she really confined to her bed still?" He asked Marie, his tone either showing concern or doubt, but which one was unclear.

"Ah… No…" Marie answered slowly, "I was just… trying to protect her."

Demise nodded in understanding; "Caution is a good instinct to follow. Convincing cover story, I'll add; as long as someone doesn't really see her."

There was another awkward silence that followed. Eventually, Demise spoke up; "Could I see her, then?"

"Oh! Right!" Marie said as she stood up; "I'll just… bring her out here, then." She said, glancing at Darach. He gave her a very slight nod, approving of her decision to have their meeting be open. Marie left the room, and Donnie tried to start a conversation.

"So. Demise." He began, "That's an interesting name."

Demise smiled and gave a shrug; "When you're surrounded by death, you become associated with interesting names."

Donnie furrowed his brow at that, when Darach clarified; "He's Badb's brother."

There was a long, shocked silence afterwards; Donnie stared at Demise, and eventually commented, "…Oh. …That explains the black, then."

"I left my raven outside." Demise continued easily, "I thought it might be a bit crowded with him in here too."

Donnie took in this information, nodded curtly, then quickly dug out his pipe and began cleaning it, effectively pulling himself out of conversation.

Marie knocked softly on Lenora's door, and entered; "Lenora?"

Lenora was sitting in the vanity near the door, her cross stitching in front of her, but she hadn't made any progress on it. In fact, it looked like she had just picked it up. Lenora looked at Marie, alert and questioning.

Marie closed the door behind her and continued to talk quietly; "Lenora, there's a man here who says that he knows you, and he wants to see you."

Lenora perked up; "Is it Demise?"

Marie paused in surprise, but recovered quickly; "Well, that's what he says his name is. He's wearin' a lot of black, and his hair is rather long."

Lenora immediately put down the cross stitching and jumped up; "I knew he would come! Does he have a bird with him?"

Marie was shocked by the reaction, and she stumbled a bit in her response; "U-um, well, no; I didn't see any… birds around him, and he didn't come in with one."

Lenora's face fell a little bit at that information, but she didn't let it dampen her spirits; "Well, that's okay. I'm sure he's not too far away." She glanced at her closed window, and then back to Marie; "He's still there, though, right?"

Marie had shaken herself out of being dumbfounded mostly, and nodded; "Yes, dearie–"before she could get out any more, Lenora started heading for the door. Marie quickly put her hands on her shoulders and stopped her; "Now, hold on, there! Can I speak to ya for a minute before you go out?" Lenora reluctantly complied, and looked at Marie, waiting.

Marie sighed; "It's just… I know that I don't know 'im, but… I don't think I entirely trust this 'Demise'." Lenora simply looked at her, so Marie continued; "He's wearin' all black, for one, which I'll allow could mean a few things, but I don't particularly like some of them. For two, he's a real smooth talker, and while he's gentlemanly, I don't think it'd be too hard for him to lie, either." Lenora paled a little bit at that; Marie took it to mean that Lenora was taking her advice to heart, and continued; "And for three, he just…" Marie looked worriedly at Lenora, and then half smiled in concern; "Well, I just met him, and I don't want him to do anything… bad to you, ya know?"

Lenora's face relaxed into a smile as she understood what Marie was saying; "You're… worried for me."

"Yes, child!" Marie said, embracing Lenora; "I am. Both of us are, Donnie and me."

Lenora gratefully returned to the hug, and said, "Thank you… But, he's the one who helped me get over here. I think that he's okay."

Marie gave a short chuckle as she broke the embrace; "Yeah, I s'pose so. I'm probably just being paranoid 'cause I haven't had a young one in the house for a while." She smiled and reached for the door; "Let's go out then, shall we?" Lenora grinned and nodded, and Marie opened the door.

Lenora walked with Marie out and down the hall to the room where the others were. However, as soon as Lenora saw Demise, she felt a pang of relief and excitement that she couldn't hold in. She started to dash forward, but she realized she should probably stay beside Marie, to make her feel better, so she hesitated. The hesitation caused her to wobble, since her momentum was already going, and she flung her arms and wings outward for balance. Consequently, one of her wings hit a wall, and the other hit some shelves, shaking whatever was in them. Lenora quickly retracted her wings, although she hadn't quite regained her balance, and because Marie had instinctively backed up when Lenora's wings were spread, she couldn't help catch Lenora as she stumbled to the ground. Marie quickly came over to help Lenora back up, and although Lenora had felt some pain, she masked it as she hastily got up. She was still smiling as she looked up at Demise, once she was standing, and said happily, "Hi, Demise!"

Demise smirked as he looked down at her with amusement; "Hello."

She thanked Marie for the help, soon disentangling herself from her grasp. She then dashed the short distance to Demise, and embraced him around his waist. She was surprised, though, when all she felt beneath his cloak was hard, and… bony. Like… ribs? Shock passed rapidly over Demise's face, but it was soon covered with a smile, and he simultaneously kneeled down closer to Lenora, hugging her in return, and making sure her arms stayed around his ribs.

"I'll explain later." He whispered quickly to her, and then broke the embrace, removing her arms from him and gently holding them down at her sides, as if he were just looking at her. Lenora could now definitely tell, though, that his touch wasn't soft like she expected, but rather hard, and even slightly smooth, again reminding her of bones. It made her think of Jack, and of Halloweentown. She looked at Demise with some confusion, but didn't say anything.

"So, you seem to be settling in well." Demise said to her, in an audible conversational tone; "You even have a fancy new dress."

Lenora perked up at that, and Demise let her go; "Yeah! I helped Marie make it!" Lenora excitedly told him, now distracted; "She said we could use one of her old dresses, and then we changed it up a bit so I could fit in it, and…" She trailed off a little as Demise stood up and she realized that the green man from before was also there, standing beside Demise. He looked more guarded than she remembered him being, but as soon as she made eye contact, he softened and smiled at her.

"Hello again." He said gently.

Lenora realized she was staring at him, and shook herself out of it; "H-hello. Um, thank you for helping before. In… in the woods."

He smiled wider; "It was my pleasure, lass. I don't think we properly met before; I'm Darach."

"Durock…?" Lenora sort-of repeated, trying to get the sound of it.

He chuckled; "Almost; Darach." He said again.

"Durack." Lenora mimicked, emphasizing it a bit more than necessary.

"There ya go; pretty close." Darach grinned.

Lenora smiled, and did it again; "Darach." Then she realized that she still had to introduce herself; "Oh! S-sorry; I'm Lenora."

Darach nodded his head; "That's a pretty name."

Lenora smiled; "Thank you."

Demise cleared his throat a little bit, drawing attention back to himself; "I'm assuming that Marie is taking care of you?"

Lenora nodded, but before she could get anything out, Marie interjected; "Oh! Yes, my husband Donnie and I are making sure that she has everythin' that she needs. I'm Marie; sorry that we didn't get around to introductions."

Demise smiled at Marie; "I understand; things can get forgotten in the rush to take care of immediate needs. Which reminds me;" he said, glancing at Lenora; "Would you all mind giving us a moment?"

The other three tensed up at the idea, indicating that yes, they certainly would mind. However, Marie was one to save face, and asked politely, "Couldn't you just tell all of us?"

"Oh, no need to worry," Demise assured them, "I will certainly tell you all. But," he said, casting a concerned look at Lenora, "… I think she should be the first to hear it."

The others continued to hesitate for a few moments, but eventually Marie got up out of her chair with a solemn look on her face; "We understand." She said sympathetically, and went over to help Donnie out of his chair. He didn't look like he wanted to leave, but he didn't resist her efforts to get him going, either. Once he was moving, she turned back to Demise; "We'll just be in the kitchen; it's around this corner right here." She indicated, then motioned for Darach to follow. Darach reluctantly followed her, tossing a slightly wary look at Demise as he left.

"Thank you." Demise said, and Marie nodded before she turned the corner herself. It wasn't quite as isolated as Demise had hoped, but he could make it work. He knelt down in front of Lenora again, and motioned for her to lean forward a little. She did so, and he started whispering; "I am telling you that your home with the angels isn't ready yet, and you are going to have to act like this is a problem."

"Um… Why?" Lenora whispered back questioningly.

"They believe that you were rescued from demons, remember?" Demise responded; "I'm going to tell them that the demons have been defeated, but the place where you stay is no longer safe. That way, you will stay here for longer." Lenora smiled at that, and Demise continued; "But remember, this is a bad thing for you." Lenora frowned; "Usually children want to go home, see their families again, right? But as long as you're here, you can't."

Lenora looked at the floor; she understood what he was saying, and it reminded her that she hadn't seen Sally in what felt like forever.

"That's it, you've got the idea now." Demise encouraged her, "But you're going to have to play it up a little, at least once." Lenora looked at him with a bit of confusion; "Have you ever acted before?"

"Um…" Lenora replied, "I've acted scary before. Sort of."

"… Right. Well," Demise continued, "I have something else to tell you that may help you pull it off a little better, okay?" Lenora nodded. "I'm going to have to leave you again."

"What?!" Lenora automatically exclaimed loudly.

"Good, good response." Demise said softly, "But yes, I will have to go again. Now, I _am_ going to come back again, too; hopefully sooner than this last time took."

"But, you just got here…" Lenora said quietly, "Can't I go with you?"

"No, and I'll explain why later." Demise told her, "But for now, whenever someone asks you how long you're staying, or about angels in general, you need to act sad. That way, they won't ask too many questions." Lenora was now staring at his skull clasp quite morosely. Demise noticed; "… You do like it here, don't you?"

That's snapped Lenora back to attention; "Y-yes! I do; Marie and Donnie are really nice, and it's wonderful outside. I just…"

"It's a lot to adjust to." Demise consoled her, "But you seem to have found good place to stay. I think you'll be just fine." He smiled.

"Do… Do you think you could-" Lenora started.

"No, I can't leave Pariah behind." Demise interrupted; "You've gotten along fine without him this long, right? I'll bring him with me when I come back."

"But… you said before that he isn't always with you."

"Yes, but things change over time." Demise told her, raising an eyebrow; "You ought to have seen that by now."

Lenora looked away; "Y-yeah…"

"So, do you think you can remember to be sad whenever someone asks you about angels?" Demise asked.

Lenora nodded.

Demise smiled; "Good. And remember, this is all to help _you_."

Hearing that, Lenora remembered all the lying that had been going on lately because of her. She looked down and felt a pang of guilt, as well as gratitude, but couldn't decide which one was stronger. Soon, she decided to go with gratitude, and looked up to hug Demise. However, Demise was already rising up to his full height again, his smile no longer on his face, so she stopped. He noticed her movements as he finished his motion, and looked at her questioningly. Nervous, she looked at him for a moment, and then shook her head to indicate 'nothing'. Demise then looked towards the kitchen area.

"You can come back now," Demise said loudly, stepping towards the kitchen; "Thank you for the space."

The other three instantly appeared from around the corner, probably not having been very far. They quickly came back, worry on their faces slightly visible. "Now, would you mind sharing with us…?" Marie intoned as they settled back in.

"Of course not." Demise sighed heavily; "I was just telling Lenora that she… that she can't go home for a while." He lowered his eyes after finishing the sentence, gathering himself.

Tenseness rose in the room. "… Why not?" Darach questioned.

"Oh don't worry," Demise quickly reassured them, "the demons have been defeated. But… they didn't make things easy. And they're not done for good. Lenora's home was rather forgotten during the fight, and it's not any safer than when she was first taken from it. The angels have decided that, until they can be sure that Lenora will be safe back at home… It would be best for her to stay where she is."

Relief was evident on Marie's face, although it was mixed with sympathy as she saw Lenora's downcast look. She soon came over to her and hugged her comfortingly, also pulling her a little farther from Demise; "It's alright, dearie… We'll be sure to look after you until you can go home."

"…Why can't she stay with other angels until her own home is fixed?" Donnie asked cautiously. Marie shot him a glance, but he ignored it.

"… If one angel's home can be breached, do you not think that others can as well?" Demise responded evenly, "Security is being improved all around by the angels. But that takes time; not to mention they only recently finished fighting, and there will be recovery time for some from that. Just because they're heavenly doesn't mean they can't be injured, or die."

There was a brief silence after that; Marie hugged Lenora closer. Demise noticed, and then continued, "Of course, that isn't to say that they are defenseless. The angels did rather well in the fight. But, of course, they can only do so many things at once. While rebuilding, a number of the Fair Folk will be helping to keep an eye out and on guard." He turned to look at Donnie; "And it is to there that I'm afraid I must return."

Darach nodded; "We really oughtn't keep you too long, then, eh?" he waited for a response, but at not getting one, continued; "Why don't I go ahead and see you off? The sooner you're back there, the less the angels'll have to worry."

Demise turned regretfully towards Lenora, and looked at her apologetically; "… I'm… sorry that I can't stay longer, Lenora." He smiled a little; "But hopefully, progress will go faster with more eyes around."

Marie still had an arm around Lenora's shoulders, and nodded at him, agreeing. Lenora still looked unhappy, but she wasn't as depressed-looking as earlier. "…When will you come back?" She asked dejectedly.

Demise sighed, and rested a hand on her head; "When I can, Lenora. I wish… I could be more definite, but I'll come back when I can."

His hand still felt hard and light. Lenora looked at his eyes, and although she noticed now that they were dark and almost empty-looking, they reminded her of Jack's eye sockets, and she had gotten used to finding emotion in such things. Demise's eyes looked somewhat sad, but also hopeful, and she took courage from that. She smiled a little at him, and again thought of hugging him, but the reminder of Jack and Halloweentown was a bit much for her at the moment, so she held herself back. "…Ok." She said eventually, a bit of optimism upholding her word.

Demise's smile widened, and he removed his hand; "That's the spirit. You'll be safe here." He turned to Marie, and nodded; "Thank you for your kindness; I'll be sure to let the angels know that Lenora is in safe hands."

Marie smiled; "Thank you." She didn't remove her arm from around Lenora.

Demise turned to Donnie and nodded his appreciation. Donnie's muted scowl that had been there the whole time didn't change. Demise didn't seem to mind, though, and turned to Darach, who was closer towards the door than he remembered; "Shall we be off then?"

Darach nodded, and as Marie moved her arm from Lenora, Darach held up a hand; "I can see us out, Marie. Thank you, though."

Marie nodded, and took hold of Lenora's hand. Lenora returned the grasp, but lifted her other hand and waved as Demise and Darach went to the door. Darach opened the door and nodded a goodbye, while Demise smiled and gave a small wave before exiting the dwelling. The door closed behind them, Lenora paused in her waving, and then slowly let her arm back down. After a moment of quiet, Marie gave Lenora another hug.

"I know this is a lot to take in, dearie," Marie said, "but we'll help you through it."

Lenora hugged Marie back; "Thank you..." she said, somewhat emptily. Demise had helped her so much, but he couldn't seem to stay with her for very long. She knew that the angel story was a lie, but he must be doing _something_ to have to stay away from her for so long. He couldn't even leave Pariah with her anymore. She knew he was helping her, but what else could he be doing? He seemed sincere enough in wanting to come back…

Lenora felt Marie's hug tighten briefly. Lenora remembered where she was, and that both Marie and Donnie really cared for her. Demise had brought her here. He may be doing weird things, but he _was_ helping her, and that was the important thing. Lenora came back to reality and hugged Marie tighter; "Thank you." She repeated, more genuinely.

* * *

Later that day, rain was coming down steadily. Lenora and Marie had finished working on her old dress, and were letting it dry after washing near the kitchen. Marie had told Lenora to work more on her cross stitching, see if she could finish it, and Lenora was working on that in her room now. Donnie was still in the sitting room, although in a different chair. Marie came over and looked at him for a few moments.

"You know," she commented, "it would be easier to read if you had the words in front of you." she motioned at the open book in his lap, although he was staring out.

"Hm?" He questioned; "Oh! …Right…" He picked up the book and looked at the page.

Marie twisted her mouth and sat down on his chair's arm; "What's troublin' you, dear?"

"Hm? Nothing; just didn't expect those… visitors… earlier." He said, pretending to read still.

Marie rolled her eyes; "It's more than that, Donnie."

"Nope; I'm just re-"

Marie plucked the book from his hands; "You think I can't tell when you're out of sorts by now?" she accused, closing the book.

Donnie scowled and looked away, but he couldn't argue with her. After waiting for her to drop the subject and go away, and she just continued to wait on the arm of his chair, he sighed; "It's that Demise fellow. I don't like that name."

Marie's face softened, and she put the book in her lap; "…I know. I don't much like it, either, but we can't argue that Lenora doesn't know 'im. She seemed happy enough to see him." Marie sighed; "And even though Darach brought her to us, Demise brought her to him. Demise seems to be her link to home."

Donnie glared at the curtains again; "That doesn't change what he is!"

Maire paused and raised her eyebrow disapprovingly at Donnie; "Now Donnie, just because we don't like 'im much, doesn't mean you got to go all assuming things about 'im. He's still connected with Lenora, and-"

"Marie," Donnie interrupted more calmly, although still rather irately, "I don't mean like that. He's one of the Tuatha de Danann."

"Well, Darach said he was," she answered, "so I figured he would be. That means we're related, you know. Not sayin' we have to like all of our relatives, of course, but… that's how it goes, sometimes."

"Marie," Donnie continued, "he's Badb's brother."

A shocked silence followed. Donnie got out his pipe and started chewing on it, not lighting it. He didn't light it much anymore, but he still used it frequently. "…Well, then;" Marie said eventually, "I… I didn't know she had a brother." Donnie continued chewing on his pipe. "…I suppose it makes sense." Marie went on; "I mean, she's got sisters, and it's not like the families are often very small, and even if he's not well known, it certainly explains his name."

"Marie; you're babbling."

"Well what do ya expect me to do, dropping somethin' like that on me?" Marie questioned a little indignantly, but calmed as she talked on; "At least that explains a few things about 'im. I don't feel quite so worried anymore."

"What do you mean?!" Donnie argued, taking his pipe out; "_How_ does that not give you somethin' to worry about?"

"Well I was worried about his clothing and such before, what it meant!" Marie replied, "Now that I know his family, it makes more sense!"

"Yeah, 'cause he's the brother of a goddess of war and death?!" Donnie shot back.

"Yes!" Marie rejoined; "He's associated with death and the like, so he wears black and 's got the black hair! At least now I've got a reason for 'im to be connected to that." She sighed and continued calmer; "And if he's on Lenora's side, that's at least somethin' going for her."

Donnie had calmed a little, but his irritation remained; "But that doesn't change what he is. He and Badb were around for the battle, no doubt; but the battle's over now."

"And you don't think they'd stick around to find out if there's more comin'?" Marie retorted; "Just because their main goals may be to do with war, doesn't mean they do that _all_ the time."

Donnie narrowed his eyes; "Maybe… Or maybe there's more comin' our way."

Marie watched him for a moment, and then made a connection; "Now, don't you go and start pinning any of this with Lenora, Donnie, or-!"

"No, no," Donnie reassured her, "Of course not. Lenora's not a part o' any of this, I'm sure. But, that doesn't mean she's not connected, even if indirectly."

Marie stared at him, then sighed and relaxed; "The fight is done with, Donnie. Lenora is here for safety, and she's hidden. Demise is just doin' his duty to make sure she's ok. Please, let's just leave it at that for now." She rested her hand on one of his, and he looked up at her pleading face.

Eventually, he sighed; "…Alright. For now."

Marie squeezed his hand and kissed his face; "Thank you, dear." She put the book back in his lap, and left him. Donnie looked at the book tiredly; he didn't want to have to worry about it anymore. But he would. Later. For now, though, he closed his eyes, and let himself fall into a nap.

* * *

Another chapter, and another day passes in the holiday worlds. What do you think of the happenings thus far?

Thank you for reading!


	29. Chapter 29

Sally walked through the trees of the Hinterlands after dark. She widened her eyes, although she still felt like she was squinting, and called out every minute or more often, sniffing in-between.

"Lenora?"

Sally tried to keep her running nose under control, so that she could call out longer. Her throat was somewhat sore already, from the past few days, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. At least she had gotten her crying under control enough that she could see straight again. Her head still felt heavy and bulky, but she had taken some medicine and it was doing much better; she had hardly been able to move it without feeling dizzy before. Now, she could walk about and not feel like she was going to fall over. Which was why she was out now.

_"What are you saying, Jack? That we should just give up?!"_

_ "No!" he hastily defended, "Of course not!"_

_ "Then what are you saying?"_

_ He sighed; "I just believe that… the Mayor has a point. I don't think we should stop looking, by any means, but I do think we need to start tending more to our normal responsibilities, as well. Halloween is just two months away, and neither of us have done much preparing since Lenora went missing over a month ago. I haven't paid attention to many of the progress on projects, nor helped with much, and you haven't made any progress on your commissions."_

_ "And what about Lenora? She hasn't been able to do much of anything for that time, either!"_

Sally looked in an exceptionally large hole in a dead tree, but only found bats and some spiders. She narrowly avoided getting bit, as she rummaged inside to make sure there were no feathers or clues of some sort, although of exactly what kind she didn't know. She didn't really notice what danger she avoided, though, and moved on.

_"Sally, she somehow survived living with Lock, Shock, and Barrel _with_ Oogie around for _weeks_. I don't doubt that she has survival instincts, and that she can use them."_

_ "But she can hardly even fly, Jack, and she can only run so far! What do you expect her to do out in the Hinterlands alone?"_

_He was silent for a few moments; "Maybe… she found a different holiday world. Maybe another family found her, and is taking care of her." He tried to say comfortingly._

_ "But that's supposed to be _our_ family, Jack!"_

Sally coughed after calling out again, as her voice tripped on itself. She cleared her throat a few times, and breathed again. She listened; no sounds other than the bats and the wails of practicing ghouls wafting over from town. She tried not to let the lack of an answer get to her too much, because then she'd have to stop walking for a while. She couldn't afford to waste the time, so she stapled her hopes to the next patch of trees and headed in that direction.

"_How can others expect you to continue working at a time like this? This is our _family_ we're talking about here!"_

"_Yes, which is exactly why we need to consider _everything_, Sally, including our own well-being. We need to continue being a part of the town, contributing and participating. If we can find Lenora again, she needs to have something to come back to, doesn't she?"_

"… _What do you mean, 'if'?"_

_His face fell. "I'm… I'm thinking realistically, Sally. It's… very possible that Lenora found another holiday world, and it's going to take a while to search them all." He embraced her gently; "We need to think of that. And… also, we… we have to include the possibility that the humans may have taken her back."_

Sally's heart faltered as another round of calls went unanswered. She wanted to hear something so bad… She pushed the thought aside and forced her hopes to reside in the holiday Doors. She was trying to get there now, but she wasn't really sure what direction they were in exactly. She had looked it up in Jack's notes before, but it was so hard for her to think of them right now…

"_But… You said that she was an experiment; like me. …Jack, you _know_ how they treated her back there! You have to get her out!"_

"_Sally, it's only a possibility. But… You know I've only been there twice, dear. It's a very large place, with some things I don't understand yet. I only got out with Kismet's help. While I might be able to find her there, I don't know if I'd be able to get us out together without him, and he seemed very adamant that I not be there. I'm willing to try on my own, but-"_

"_Well then talk to Kismet!" she exclaimed, breaking the embrace; " Let _me_ talk to him! Surely he understands-"_

"_Sally, Kismet is a reaper. He can't interfere with anything. He only has special status to be a part of Halloween because he won't do anything other than scare. He helped me before, but if he crosses that line too much… I don't know what would happen to him."_

"_But we _know_ what will happen to Lenora if she's left there! Jack, don't you care?!"_

"_Sally, you know I do! But I won't put others in danger based on a fractional possibility!"_

Sally tripped on something and fell to the ground. She pushed herself up onto her knees, but stayed in that position. She wanted to get up and continue searching, but the futility of it all was raging against her mental blocks that she'd put up days ago. And it was starting to break through.

"_Fine! If you're taking everything into account, why not talk about La Llorona?! Isn't it possible that _she_ took Lenora?"_

_His face contorted briefly in alarm; "Sally; that is… possible, but it's not-"_

"Why not_?! You're considering everything else! She escaped in the middle of the night from the treehouse; how likely is it that she reached the Doors before La Llorona found her?"_

"_Sally;" he said worriedly, "please, don't-"_

"_You don't even care, do you!" she accused, "All you care about is the next Halloween!"_

"_Sally, you know that's not-"_

"_You don't even want a family!" she yelled. She saw the look on Jack's face then, and realized what she was saying. "N-no… I… Jack, I don't…" Sally took a step towards him, but then turned and ran away. She locked herself in a room and cried._

Sally wanted to fight against the facts, but it was becoming so much harder. Lenora was just a little girl, afraid of the world. La Llorona had already spotted her once, who was to say she couldn't find her again faster? The other Holidays might be able to help her, if they found her in time. But even if she managed to get past La Llorona, who knew what lay in wait in the other worlds? And if she had been found by the humans…

Sally couldn't focus anymore. Her vision blurred, and tears fell from her face as she cried out into the night. She was far enough from town that no one would suspect the random wails were in earnest, although she didn't care if they did. She scrunched her eyes and crumpled back onto the ground, crying about all the odds and the options lost to her.

_Sally had eventually opened the door and come out, but she simply went to the bed and slumped down onto it. Jack had tried to comfort her, soon abandoning words, but she didn't react to anything. So he was simply there for her. He stayed with her for a day or two, she didn't really remember. Then his absences started getting longer. She didn't mind; it didn't matter whether he was there or not. She had hurt him, and she didn't deserve to be around him. She didn't deserve Lenora, either. She barely deserved to continue living. Even that, she had her doubts about._

_After a week, though, she got a little better. She didn't sleep quite as much. She moved around the house listlessly, but she moved. Jack was overjoyed to see her up, but she was still mostly unresponsive. At length, she came to the conclusion that she was still alive because while she didn't deserve much, she was one of the few who had the desire to help Lenora. She _needed_ to go and help her. So she left._

Sally wept onto the cold ground, and sobbed like she had after her fight with Jack. How could she believe that she would be able to find Lenora and help her? There was so much out in the worlds that could have taken Lenora, either away from Halloweentown, or… She just wanted to find Lenora. She just wanted to be a family. But she apparently didn't deserve either.

Sally almost didn't notice the sound of another's cries over her own. But while she took a shuddering breath, she heard them. Immediately, Sally bolted up on her hands and looked around frantically, trying to locate the source while she tried to control her sobs again. A slight mist had started permeating around the trees; she didn't see anything in it. Coughing, Sally desperately cried out; "Lenora!" The crying continued. "Lenora!"

The crying finally pinpointed to a tree in front of her. Sally tripped on her breath as she looked intently, and coughed, being forced to close her eyes. When she opened them again, a ghost dressed in a white dress floated in front of her. The long black hair made Sally realize it was La Llorona. La Llorona's cries paused momentarily, and she looked at Sally. Her face held such pain and sorrow, her eyes brimmed with tears. Sally remembered her story automatically. But now, she knew how she felt.

"…P-please," Sally hiccuped through her own tears, "…Have you seen Lenora?"

La Llorona's lips trembled, and she buried her face in her hands, crying again.

Sally's heart leapt to her throat; "D-…Did you… take her?" Sally whispered.

La Llorona threw her head back in an exuberant wail, then threw her face back into her hands again, drifting to the ground in a kneeling position similar to Sally's.

Sally's tears fell again as she tried to hold herself together to question the ghost; "P-please, just tell me." Sally pleaded, "Just… tell me if you saw her or not!"

La Llorona continued crying, her shoulders shaking.

Sally couldn't bear it anymore; she let out a short yell and swiped at the ground in front of her in frustration, and anger, and fear. Some dirt flew off to the side. Sally fell to the ground again, this time holding her head with her arms, and added her cries to those of La Llorona. She wasn't getting any answers from the ghost, one way or another, and she couldn't find Lenora!

The two continued like that for a minute or two, but soon enough, Sally's fatigue was getting the best of her emotions. Despite her feelings, Sally's cries dwindled to occasional sobs and hiccups. Her tears were gone, although she wanted more. She felt empty and horrid and exhausted all at the same time, but still had enough emotional momentum to stay awake. Then, Sally felt a hand on her shoulder. It was very light. Quickly, Sally looked up, and saw La Llorona sitting directly in front of her, hand on Sally's shoulder. La Llorona's face was still exceedingly sorrowful, but it also held… empathy.

Sally rose into a sitting position, now looking at La Llorona fully. La Llorona still looked sympathetic, and moved her hand from Sally's shoulder to her hand as she sat up. La Llorona squeezed her hand a little, and Sally looked at her in bewilderment. And a little bit of hope.

"Do… Do you know where Lenora is?" Sally asked softly. Her voice cracked a little, but that was to be expected in her current state.

La Llorona tilted her head a little and slumped her shoulders.

Sally sighed, and looked down at their hands. After a moment, La Llorona removed her hand. Sally looked up at the ghost woman anxiously, not really knowing what to expect. La Llorona looked at her sadly, and slowly floated up into more of a standing position. Sally's breath froze; La Llorona wasn't really helping her, but she knew how Sally felt! She was the only one who could empathize with her, and… and she was leaving! Not only that, but she still might know something about Lenora!

"N-no!" Sally pleaded, "Please! Please don't- don't go!" Her face scrunched in despair; "I can't-!" Sally faltered at her last sentence, choked and coughed, and had to close her eyes in the effort. She got over the coughing, and took a few moments to breathe. As she brought her head back up, she saw a ghostly hand extended to her. She looked up and saw La Llorona looking down at her, still sorrowful, but also offering. La Llorona was offering to help her.

Sally looked at the hand again, and then took it. La Llorona's hand was transparent and light, but more-or-less solid to her touch. La Llorona supported her a little as Sally got herself up and stood in front of the ghost woman. Their faces wore similar expressions, and Sally felt that La Llorona would be able to help her. Together, they would be able to find-

"Sally?"

Sally registered the voice in the back of her mind, as Jack, but that wasn't important right now. She focused again on La Llorona, and increased her grip on the ghost. La Llorona matched her grip, and looked back into the trees behind herself. Sally looked as well, wondering what she saw. As La Llorona drifted a little backwards, Sally took a small step with her. Was there something-

"Sally!"

Jack was closer now, but she couldn't worry about him. He would be able to forgive her once she found Lenora, and La Llorona would help-

"_Sally_!"

She suddenly felt bony arms encircle her from behind, pulling her away from La Llorona. Sally tried to keep her grip on the ghost, but La Llorona was startled and let Sally's hand fall through her no longer solid form. La Llorona's face fell in confusion and despair, as she retreated away from Sally and pulled her arm away. Sally fought against Jack's grip, reaching out for La Llorona. "No, wait-!" La Llorona looked at Sally one last time, and then fell into more wails. She turned away from Sally and covered her face with her hands, quickly disappearing back into the Hinterlands. "_Please_!" Sally called desperately.

"_Sally_!" Jack said, not loosening his grip on her, "Stop, please, just-"

"She was going to help, Jack!" Sally wailed, "We can still find her! Just let me-"

"Look at your feet, Sally!" Jack demanded, "Look down at your feet!"

Caught off guard by both his tone and his request, Sally stopped fighting and looked down at her feet. The color was drained from at least her knees down to her toes, and she could see the ground through her feet. As she stared at them, color returned to her limbs, and her feet became solid again. Sally continued staring for a few moments after the transformation ceased. She moved her feet a little, and watched them do as she bid. "…W-wh… How…"

"La Llorona… She was changing you, Sally."

Sally's mind muddled through the events and words slowly, but once they clicked, Sally went rigid with shock. La Llorona… was changing her, so that they could look together. La Llorona was helping her, but…

"Sally;" Jack said worriedly, not loosening his hold on her, "Are you ok? Did she do anything to you?"

Sally continued to stare at her feet. "…No." She answered emptily, then lost her rigidity and slumped a bit in Jack's arms.

Jack increased his grip on her anxiously; "Sally? Sally; are you ok?" he repeated, "Can you stand?"

Sally's gaze shifted to a tree in front of her, and she eventually managed to shuffle into a better standing position.

Jack hesitated; "Are you going to run off if I let you go?" Jack asked uneasily.

"No…"

Jack still waited a few moments before he loosened his hold, but once he did, he quickly moved in front of her, keeping his hands on her the whole time. Sally felt a bit wobbly, but she didn't fall over. "Sally?" Jack said nervously, looking her over for any injuries; "Sally, are you hurt?" Sally shook her head. Jack didn't find anything wrong with her other than what he had already seen before, like her puffy eyes. Determining that she seemed physical together, Jack took Sally's face in his hands and looked at her worriedly; "Sally; please, say something."

As Sally looked into his pleading eye sockets, she eventually mustered more than one word; "I… I'm sorry, Jack…"

Immediately, Jack smiled briefly with relief and relaxed. He closed his eyes and leaned against her forehead gently, still holding her face. He felt her scrunch up her face, though, and pulled back, worried again.

Sally was squeezing her eyes like she was trying to cry, but she couldn't. "I… I can't find Lenora, Jack…" She was cringing, waiting for a reaction; "And… and I'm sorry for yelling at you… And-"

Before she could say anything else, her words were muffled by Jack's mouth over hers. Sally found herself giving in to the kiss, but then opened her eyes in surprise and pulled back. Jack put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her kindly, and before she could say anything, told her softly, "I thought that I had lost you. Now… I _know_ that we can find Lenora if we work together, but… if you left too…" He embraced her tenderly, not wanting to finish his sentence.

Sally returned his hug with a little confusion at first, but held tighter as she finally understood what he was saying. "I'm… sorry, Jack;" she said wearily, as she began to connect all the things that she had been doing; "I… I didn't mean to… to make you worry."

Jack sighed; "…But you're safe now. So, please, promise me you won't go running off like that again."

Sally felt her throat constrict a bit again, and pulled back to look at Jack; "Jack, I… I didn't mean to! I didn't want to worry you, but I needed to _do_ something." Despite the emotion in her voice, she couldn't say it very loudly because of all the stress she had put on her vocal cords lately. But Jack still understood.

"Well then, next time… could you please leave a note or something, saying where you're going?" Jack pleaded gently; "I've tried to do the same for you." Sally vaguely remembered notes in the house, but she hadn't ever read them. "I just…" he said, taking her hands, "I love you, Sally. This is a hard time, I know, but I'm here for you. Please, let me be here for you. And… I need you to be here for me, too."

Sally finally felt a warmth in her heart that she hadn't felt in weeks, felt it spread through her body, and bring a small smile to her face. She felt calmer as they held each other; "Jack… I love you." Jack smiled as well, and they shared a tender kiss. Sally then rested her head on Jack's chest, and was surprised by the wave of tiredness that suddenly fell upon her. "Jack;" she said, suddenly fighting to stay standing, "Can… can you help me… get back?"

Jack stroked her hair lovingly; "You're already back, dear." He said in a relieved tone.

"N-no, I mean… I'm really, really tired…"

Jack finally understood; "Oh! Right;" he maneuvered so that he was holding up one of her arms with his shoulders, and smiled at her; "Of course." He wrapped an arm around her waist, to help support her, and they began making their way back to town.

* * *

Marie heard a small yelp, through the door and down the hall, and was immediately on her feet before she even really registered what she had put down. She opened the door to Lenora's room, and found the girl huddled on her bed, wrapped in the bright blankets, wide-eyed and gripping the colors as though her life depended on it. She wasn't crying, but she didn't look as though she would need much to push her to it. Straightaway, Marie was over at the bed and sitting in front of Lenora, trying to calm her down; "Lenora? Lenora. It's okay, dearie, you're safe." She repeated as she took hold of Lenora's shoulders from front, trying to get Lenora to look at her. Lenora's breathing was rapid and panicked. After Marie repeated herself a few times, Lenora's breathing finally slowed a little bit, and although her gaze didn't gain any focus, she slowly leaned forward and put her arms around Marie, leaning her head on Marie's shoulder. Marie just held her, murmuring soothingly while Lenora gripped her back tightly.

While Lenora had been in Halloweentown, Sally had always been there for her, comforting her when she couldn't stop crying. That had helped relieve some of the fear. But whenever she was at the treehouse, Sally hadn't been there. The nightmares were still there, although a bit less intense, and Lenora had still cried out rather frequently. However, the trick-or-treaters didn't really pay her much mind after the first few nights, not only not really knowing what to do, but getting irritated after a while as well. They didn't bully her about it or anything, really; they just didn't exactly help her much, either. So Lenora had gotten much better at holding in the shouts, and the crying. Also, as time went on and she got better at moving on past her fear quickly after she awoke, her nightmares became less intense. Well, she didn't remember them as much, at least. Sometimes she still woke up with just as much fear, but she couldn't always remember exactly why; that made it easier to move on. During Lenora's first few days in St. Patrick'stown, her body had been too tired to even try to dream. However, not too much later, Lenora's nightmares had returned, although Lenora once again had someone to comfort her whenever she cried out, too. But she still tried not to do it much, partially because she didn't want to impose on Marie, and partly because she wanted to believe she was getting over the nightmares. Nevertheless, there were times when she still couldn't help shouting a little bit. And although she felt a little guilty, she liked it whenever Marie would come and sit with her.

Marie had worried about Lenora's nightmares at first, but the girl would never talk about them. Marie quickly assumed that they were nightmares concerning the demons kidnapping her, and believed that Lenora didn't want to have to relive that again, so didn't really push her to talk about it. Lenora only cried sometimes whenever Marie was with her, and it was never a big wailing session; simply tears as she tried to come back to reality. Thankfully, that didn't generally take too long, and after some minutes passed by, Lenora would sniff and thank her for being there. Marie would smile and ask if she wanted anything, and Lenora would always say no. They would hug, and then go on with whatever they were going to do next. Sometimes they did things together to distract Lenora. Sometimes Lenora would go back to sleep. But always, they moved on and pretended that nothing had happened. Marie had tried bringing it up with Donnie once, when Lenora was asleep, but Donnie had stated that if it wasn't interfering with what she normally did, Lenora would be fine. It would just take a while for her to get used to things being normal again. He silently conveyed that he didn't really want to talk about it anymore, so Marie dropped the subject. However, she still worried about the girl.

This time, as Lenora's breathing returned to normal, and her grip became less intense, Marie sighed; she wished she could do more for the girl, but she hadn't any idea what. So she simply offered her comfort; "I'm here for you, don't worry."

Lenora heard her, and had finally returned to a more normal state of mind. However, having done this a number of times, she couldn't help but be reminded of Sally. And again, she couldn't help but think of how long it had been since she had seen her last. She felt the fear that had been ebbing away be replaced by emptiness, and longing; "… I miss Sally."

Marie paused, taking in the information; Lenora had never really said much during her episodes before. "… Who's Sally?" She questioned softly, "… Is she your mum?"

At the word, Lenora felt a lump in her throat, and her grip intensified again. She fought to gain control of herself, for she had gone so long without crying about it, and she wanted to keep it up. After a couple of seconds, she still didn't trust herself to say anything, so she simply nodded into Marie's shoulder.

Marie leaned her head against Lenora sympathetically; "… I'm sorry, dearie." She said gently, moving one of her hands through Lenora's hair a little bit; "I'm sure she misses you too. I know I would, if you were my child." Marie gave a short chuckle; "Actually, even right now, though you're not mine, I'd miss ya if you left."

Lenora's emotions had calmed down again, aided by her intrigue in Marie's statement; "… Really?"

"Really and truly." Marie said sincerely; "Which is why I'm sure that she's on top of everyone, tryin' to get all of those repairs done as fast as possible."

Lenora was again reminded of the lie, and her grip tightened again as she tried to hold down more tears. She wasn't entirely successful, as one dripped down her face and onto Marie's shoulder.

Marie thought that she had just reminded Lenora that she couldn't see her mom again for a while, and tried to recover; "Well, you know, I'm sure if we talked to Demise about it, you'd be able to see your mom again for a little bit." She said reassuringly, "Once he comes back, at least."

Lenora calmed as she seriously thought about the suggestion, not having given it any thought before. "… Do… Do you think he would let me?"

"Well I don't see why not." Marie replied encouragingly, "It's not exactly as if she couldn't take a short break to see her own child. I mean, she can't be workin' _all_ the time."

Lenora's heart fell a little bit at the thought, for Marie was only referencing the lie. But that didn't dim her hopes of possibly asking Demise to at least see Sally, just once. The next time that he came. "Can… Do you mind if _I_ ask him, when he comes again?" Lenora asked tentatively, not wanting the lie to be a problem in the question.

Marie thought for a moment, and then smiled, even though Lenora couldn't see her; "Sure, dearie. If you want to."

They hugged tightly for a moment, and then released each other. Marie glanced at the window, or rather, its curtains; "… So, what do ya think about helpin' me out in the garden today?"

Lenora gave a small smile; "…I'd like that."

* * *

Out back of the house in the garden, Lenora had a slightly better view of the lake, although it was still far enough away that she couldn't really tell how big it was. The forest loomed up above it on the far end, but that was about all she could really tell. Lenora was rather interested and distracted by the work she and Marie were doing, though, as she hadn't really done much with gardens before, at least ones that look so lively and full. But Marie still noticed that Lenora would try and catch a glimpse of the water now and again.

"Interested in Loch Mierney, are ya?" She asked lightly.

Lenora looked at her in confusion; "What?"

"Loch Mierney;" Marie repeated, pointing it out now; "the water over there."

"Oh!" Lenora said; "I… thought it was a lake…?"

Marie laughed; "I suppose you could call it that as well! Loch is just the name that we give to 'em. That one over there is Loch Mierney." She explained, "And there's another one on the other side of town. That one is Loch Stafner."

"Oh…" Lenora said, finally understanding; "Okay! So it is a lake, but it's called a locgh."

"Yeah, pretty much." Marie agreed, chuckling; "But you can pronounce it 'lock', if you'd like."

Lenora twisted her face a little; "But, you said it with this…" Lenora attempted to make the sound, but was cut off by Marie's laughing.

"You… you've not quite got the accent, dearie." She said with a smile.

"Oh… Okay." Lenora said; "So that is Loch…?"

"Loch Mierney." Marie said again, "It's a nice little loch, but always be careful of what you see over there." Marie then looked sternly at Lenora; "And if you ever see any horses near there, or anything that's got water reeds in its hair, don't you _ever_ touch it. Don't even go near it. Even if it seems nice and gentle, or even friendly, you stay away from it. Understand?"

Lenora was a little bit intimidated by this approach from Marie; she wasn't used to seeing it. "O-okay…"

Marie's face softened a bit after that, and she smiled at Lenora; "Not everything here is as kind as we are, child. We leprechauns can be rather devious, for sure, but none of us would ever actually hurt anyone. Well… Mostly." She added offhandedly, "But there are far worse creatures that you could run into around here."

"Are… Do they look scary?" Lenora asked. She was sure that whatever was around, she had probably already seen something like it in Halloweentown, but it would be good to ask anyway.

"… Not always." Marie replied, "But, that doesn't mean that you need to be worried about everyone that you meet, either. Like Darach; he can seem intimidating at times, but he's definitely a nice one. I just… want you to be careful, Lenora; alright?"

Lenora smiled again; "Okay."

Just a few minutes later, Donnie came out to them; "… Lenora?" He started, a bit uncomfortably; "Ah… Demise is here to see you."

Immediately, Lenora perked up and nearly dropped what she was doing; "Really?" She asked excitedly. It'd only been a day or two since he'd last come, and while Lenora had been hoping he would come back soon, she hadn't really expected it.

Donnie hesitated a bit before nodding. Lenora started running towards the house, but then stopped as she realized she was still helping Marie. She turned anxiously towards Marie, who smiled at her, even though she had a bit of worry in her face, which Lenora didn't notice. "Go on in and clean yourself up, dearie;" Marie told her, "I can clean up out here. And don't forget what we talked about earlier!"

Lenora grinned eagerly and nodded; "Thank you!" She said as she dashed inside.

Marie looked at Donnie, who certainly didn't look as eager as Lenora did. "Did he say why he was here?"

Donnie shook his head; "Just says he wants to talk to Lenora again. Somethin' about new security protocols…"

Marie put a hand on her hip; "_I'd_ say that's a reason for him to be here." Donnie's look said he remained unconvinced. Marie rolled her eyes; "If you're still so worried about 'im, why don't you go an' keep an eye on them while they talk?" Donnie's eyes darted back to the door, and then he nodded. "But remember," Marie added, "just because you don't like 'im doesn't mean he's automatically guilty of everythin'!" She said this pointedly at Donnie, who seems to only partially hear her, but she also said it for herself, for she still had some misgivings about Demise. She tried to shake them off, though, as she went back to work on the garden.

Lenora had already washed her hands, and quickly went into the sitting room, where she assumed Demise was. And she was right. She didn't see Pariah with him, but he said he would bring him, so she trusted that he did, somewhere. She could hardly contain her grinning as she came up to him, and was tempted to hug him again, but decided against it; "Hi Demise!"

He smiled down at her; "Hello again. I'm afraid that your friend asked me to leave Pariah outside, but he is out there. Donnie was his name, right?"

Lenora nodded as she glanced at the window, momentarily forgetting that it had its curtains closed, happy that her trust had been proved right; "Yeah. Can we go out and see Pariah?"

"What's the rush?" Donnie said as he came into the room; "Didn't you just come back inside?"

At that, Lenora was reminded that she hadn't done anything with her dress, and quickly brushed it to try and get some of the dirt off, forgetting that she was already inside again; "Oh! Um… Yeah, but… I didn't get to see Pariah last time." She replied, "And… and I've missed him."

Donnie looked at Demise, who in turn raised his eyebrows questioningly back; "It's up to you if we go outside or not; you are the ones caring for her here. By the way, where is Marie?"

Donnie continued scrutinizing Demise for a moment or two, then, determining his comments acceptable, replied; "She's out in the garden. We can go on ahead out front, I suppose."

Lenora smiled as they left the room and went to the front door. Demise opened the door, and held it for both Lenora and Donnie as they exited. Well, he tried to; Donnie stubbornly waited to close the door, so Demise relinquished it and Donnie closed it firmly behind himself. Once Lenora was out, she was immediately looking around for Pariah. She didn't have long to wait, though, because once she came a yard or more away from the house, a caw came from the roof and Pariah swept down beside her. Lenora let out a small squeal of excitement and knelt down beside the bird, quickly reaching out and petting him fondly.

Demise raised his eyebrows; "He seems to have missed you."

"Well, I know that I missed him." Lenora replied as she continued petting Pariah. She did take a moment to look at Demise happily, though; "Thank you very much for bringing him!"

"… You're welcome." Demise responded at length; "… And, that reminds me;" he said, turning to Donnie, "The safety protocols that I need to talk to Lenora about – I'm afraid only she can hear them."

Donnie's eyes narrowed.

"It's for her own safety." Demise continued apologetically, "And the safety of the other angels, as well. Not even all of the Fair Folk involved know everything about it."

Donnie pursed his lips, but eventually nodded; "Fine;" he allowed, "I'll stay up here, and you two can walk around in the grass a little bit." He gestured at the fields in front of them.

Demise smiled, although it seemed just the slightest bit taut; "Thank you."

"Stay out o' the forest, though," Donnie continued firmly, "And keep where I can see you."

Demise's smile didn't change as he nodded, then turned to Lenora and Pariah; "Lenora?" Lenora didn't recognize that he was talking to her; "Lenora." He repeated, more sternly.

Lenora turned her head quickly; "Hm?" She asked, one hand still on Pariah.

"I need to tell you a few things;" he said, glancing back at Donnie, "Why don't we walk around a little bit?"

Lenora understood his meaning, and offered her arm out to Pariah before moving. Pariah walked onto her forearm, and then Lenora stood up. Demise started walking out away from the house, and Lenora followed him.

As they walked, Lenora continued to pet Pariah with her free hand. After a little bit, she simply held him close on her arm, supporting it with her other arm as well. Eventually, Demise started speaking.

"So, we are currently talking about the security protocols of the angels." He started out, somewhat softly, "Let's pretend that they involve secret code words, and a few numbers, said whenever you reach a certain sentries at certain gates."

"…Like what?" Lenora asked, not sure what 'sentries' were, but grasping his meaning.

"Like…" Demise said, trailing off.

"Like 'raven'?" Lenora continued, not really waiting.

"… Sure;" Demise replied, "Or 'wings', or 'guardian', if you want."

"… Do I need to tell anybody else?" Lenora asked.

"No." He answered, "In fact, these are secret, so even if they ask, you shouldn't have to tell anyone, or remember any."

"… Okay." Lenora said agreeably. She didn't really care about it much, anyway. She looked back behind them to see if they were far enough yet, and although she could still see Donnie, she was pretty sure that he couldn't hear them. Then she looked up at Demise as they continued walking; "So, why can't I come with you?"

Demise raised an eyebrow at her; "… Aren't you going to ask why I felt so bony?"

"… I guess so." Lenora replied, indicating that that wasn't her main concern.

Intrigued, but not really letting it show, Demise continued talking; "Well, the answers kind of go together, so I'll show you first." He checked their distance from Donnie, and stopped walking; Lenora did after a few steps as well, turning back to look at him curiously. "You see, Lenora, while I may look normal and living, or at least living, it is actually just a disguise." He extended one of his hands, which looked normal enough to Lenora, even though the skin was paler than Marie's or Donnie's, or even hers. "I'm just going to show you a little bit, okay?"

Lenora nodded, holding Pariah close, but not out of fear. Making sure his back was towards Donnie, Demise flipped his hand over, palm down. Then, the skin suddenly disappeared, and Lenora could see pale white bones underneath. But they weren't skinny bones like Jack's; they were shorter, and looked more like claws than fingers. In fact, she was pretty sure that they _were_ claws. Lenora frowned a little bit, and tilted her head as she studied them. Demise moved his claw fingers up and down, proving that they were actually his own. Lenora removed her second supporting hand from under Pariah, and held up her finger close to Demise's hand. Then, she poked it. It felt solid enough, at least similar to the other bones that she had felt back at Halloweentown. She tried not to think about any others…

Suddenly, Demise's skin was back, and it looked like a normal hand again. Lenora poked it again, and it still felt the same way. She placed her hand on top of Demise's, and felt the roundness of the claws near their ends, a little distance before it looked like his fingers actually ended. Again, she couldn't help but think of Jack as she felt the bones move under her hand. That reminded her of what she and Marie had talked about earlier, and she remembered that she wanted to ask Demise about it.

Lenora removed her hand. "Um…" She started.

"If you're wondering why I keep it hidden," said, lowering his hand, "it's because I don't want people to be afraid of me."

"… Really?" Lenora asked, distracted; "But… You're from Halloweentown, aren't you?"

Demise chuckled; "No, although not a bad guess."

"Oh… Okay." Lenora said, somewhat confused, but wanting to get back to her idea while she still remembered; "But that wasn't my question."

"Right." Demise said, continuing on; "Well my job isn't about scaring people, either. It's actually about helping them. But I don't help just anyone; I usually help dead people."

That forced Lenora to pause. "… Um… By 'dead', do you mean… Like zombies?"

Demise shook his head, then knelt down beside Lenora. He looked at her steadily, seriously, and it made Lenora a little bit uncomfortable. She was glad that Pariah was there, too. But nevertheless, she forced herself to return his gaze, even if it was less steady than his. "I help people who have died, to move on to the next plane."

Lenora couldn't help but be reminded of The Hospital. There had been so much death there, always looming… But she tried to focus on what he was saying. "S-so you 'help' those who are… dying?" She nervously pet Pariah, who moved a little bit from the increased pressure.

Demise shook his head a little, trying to explain better; "Not exactly; I don't bring death. I only help them after the fact, after they have died. I help them to be able to move on."

Lenora continued staring at his eyes, and managed to keep the bad memories at bay; "You… You help them." She reiterated, trying to clarify to herself what exactly he did; "Because then they can move on."

Demise nodded; "Yes. Because if I didn't, they would turn into ghosts."

"Y-you mean… like La Llorona?" Lenora questioned meekly. She was glad to have different memories pop up, but she didn't really like these ones much better.

Demise nodded again; "Not all ghosts are like her, as you know from Halloweentown; but they are stuck here. And after people die, they can't go back to how they used to be. Moving on is the best option."

Lenora tried to hold his gaze longer, but had to look away; "… Where do they go?" Lenora asked quietly.

"… To another plane of existence." He said.

Lenora looked at Pariah, whom she was holding up against her chest tightly; she didn't realize she was squishing him, and loosened her hold on him. Pariah shuffled into a more comfortable position, and she helped move him onto her other arm, as that one was growing tired. "… What's it like?" She questioned, unable to actually distract herself from the conversation, or hide her curiosity.

Since she was looking away, she didn't notice his eyes narrow; "… It's another place. It's where people go after they die. I'm sure it's more interesting than being a ghost." Lenora looked back at him, and his face was kindly again; "At any rate, that's why I can't take you with me on my job. I'm the only one who can do anything on it, and you would have to wait around with dead bodies while I did, wherever those bodies happen to be."

Lenora was silent for a while, looking at Demise, and then looking away, and then back again, trying to fight what was obvious. "… Well…" she started, "I… I guess that I don't _have_ to… go with you…"

"And you get to stay here with Marie and Donnie." Demise reminded her.

"Oh, yeah. Ok…" She responded, not so grudgingly; she was more reluctant to admit that she was scared of staying with him than she was to admit that she liked staying with the leprechauns. "And…" she continued, "I wanted to ask you; um…" She looked away nervously; "I'm really, really happy for everything you're doing for me, and… I really do like it here; and, um…" Pariah finally got tired of Lenora's fretful petting and jumped off her arm, flapping to the ground. Lenora found herself crossing her arms in different positions at the lack of Pariah's presence.

"…Yes?" Demise asked patiently, although also expectantly, waiting for her to finish; "Ask me what?"

Lenora looked down at the ground; "I-was-wondering-if-I-could-see-Sally." She muttered.

Demise paused, then raised one eyebrow; "…I'm sorry? What was that?"

"I wanted to know if… if I could see Sally again." Lenora said louder, still not looking directly at him, but was staring at his hand now instead of the ground; "It doesn't have to be real long or anything, but… I… I miss her." Lenora stared harder at his hand, and fought against some tears that wanted to well up again.

Demise hadn't moved either, although Lenora didn't notice. "…Oh;" he responded evenly. He hadn't quite been expecting a question like that, but his began mind working quickly; "Well… I'm not sure about right _now_ exactly, but… Are you sure that you want to go back yet? Do you really want to bring up everything that's happened since you left? _Why_ you left?"

Lenora hadn't thought of that. "Oh. Umm…. Well, n-not really…" she responded awkwardly, "But… I mean, maybe we wouldn't have to talk or anything…?" Lenora scrunched her face in uncertain hope and looked at Demise. He gave her a look that asked her doubtfully if that would be possible. "Or, maybe I could just hide and see her somewhere?"

Demise continued looking at her dubiously for a moment, but then an idea started to form in his mind. "Actually… perhaps you _could_." Lenora's face lit up a little. "Albeit, you aren't exactly the greatest at sneaking around, but you aren't too bad. And you _could_ get better…" A smile slowly crept across his face; "Lenora; how would you like to learn to be scarier?"

Lenora's face dropped in confusion; "Umm… I… I kind-of already tried that…" she said, "In school. And with Sally, sort-of."

"Yes, but that was different." Demise continued, "Then, you had all these monsters and creatures around you who already knew how to scare, and were more than willing to practice on you. But here, there's no one who wants to try to scare you, and the scenery is much nicer, don't you think?"

Lenora looked around briefly at the grass and pretty sky; "Yeeeaah…" She conceded; "I guess so."

"So, I think that you could try to be scarier than some of the things around here, and succeed. This seems like a great place for you to learn to be scary."

Lenora remembered how she had already accidentally scared Donnie that one time. Her eyes lit up a little; "Well… I guess it could be. I kind-of already know some things."

Demise continued smiling; "Yes; indeed you do."

Lenora's face fell a little as she realized something; "But, who's going to teach me? I mean, there might be some scary creatures here, but…" Lenora looked around a little nervously.

"… What would you think of _me_ teaching you?" Demise asked.

Lenora looked at him in surprise, and then elation; "R-really? You mean, you would come more often, and teach me how to be scary? And hide better?"

"Only if you want me to."

"Oh, yes!" Lenora exclaimed, waving her hands in excitement; "Please! Please do!"

Demise grinned; "Well alright then. I will help you learn to be scarier."

Lenora could hardly contain her joy; "Oh, thank you Demise!" She immediately tackled him in a hug around his shoulders, since he was still kneeling. Demise was almost thrown off balance, and definitely taken aback; his face went rigid and his hands flexed stiffly in the air. But he restrained himself from doing anything, and Lenora was too distracted to notice as he relaxed his claws and smoothed his face into a slightly-taut smile. He deliberately lowered his arms to her folded wings, paused there briefly, then moved his hands to her shoulders. Her hold loosened a little on her own, and he gently but firmly moved her away a bit. She lowered her arms to herself, although she was still smiling.

"First thing, though; I don't really think you need to hug as often as you actually do."

"Oh!" Lenora replied, retracting her arms to her chest; "Um, sorry!"

Demise smiled with his mouth, and then continued; "I'm happy that you are willing to try this. But to do it, you're going to have to trust me. Okay?"

Lenora nodded eagerly; "Okay!" She lowered her arms again, and fidgeted a little; "And… then I'll be able to see Sally again?"

Demise's expression softened a bit; "You will eventually. You have to learn first, but afterwards, you could easily hide and watch her; maybe even surprise her, if you felt ready to." Lenora's eyes lit up; "But we have to work on that, first." He reminded her.

Lenora nodded again; "Okay!"

Demise cast a glance behind him towards Donnie, then looked at Lenora again; "Now, in order to do this, we're going to have to lie some more. I'm going to tell Donnie and Marie that you have to learn to defend yourself back home, and I'm being sent to teach you some things. I'm not going to mention it this time, but the next time I come, that's what I'm going to tell them. So don't bring it up until I come back, okay?"

"Okay;" Lenora responded, not quite as enthusiastically, but then followed up with; "And it won't really be _all_ lying, because in Halloweentown, I need to be scary! Because that's what helps, and I'll be learning to be scary!"

Demise smirked; "Sure, let's go with that." He stood back up, and glanced at Pariah, who was pecking at the ground nearby. He looked back towards the house, and saw Donnie still watching them, waiting. "…How about we go back now? I'll leave, and then come back fairly soon."

Lenora's expression faded a little bit; "You mean, you don't want to stay longer?"

"It's not really that;" Demise replied, "but you remember about my job? I have to always keep up with that. And I also need to start getting ready to teach you, remember?"

Lenora smiled a bit at his last remark; "Yeah. Oh! Do I need to practice before you come back?"

"…And what exactly would you practice?" Demise countered.

"Umm… What I already know?" Lenora said uncertainly.

Demise looked at her with a deadpan face; "…I think we've already established that that hasn't really worked out well for you."

Lenora's face fell; "Oh, um… I guess."

Demise sighed; "How about you just practice sneaking real quietly? That shouldn't be too suspicious, and it's something you should work on, anyway."

Lenora brightened again; "Okay!"

Demise smiled; "Alright. Now I've been feeling Donnie trying glare a hole through my back this whole time; why don't we get you back?"

Lenora tilted her head a little as she tried to see Donnie's expression; "…Donnie always looks like that." She assumed, not really being able to make out much; "I mean, he does smile sometimes, but not much when we're outside."

Demise chuckled; "Whatever the case may be, let's go back." He extended an arm, and Lenora thought about taking reaching out and taking it, but then Pariah flew over and landed on it. Lenora then looked hopefully at Pariah, but decided against asking to hold him because her arms were tired. So she settled for watching him and walked with Demise back to the house.

* * *

Thank you for reading!


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